Maggie Throup | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Vaccines and Public Health | |
| In office 16 September 2021 – 6 September 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | Nadhim Zahawi (Vaccines) Jo Churchill (Public Health) |
| Succeeded by | Neil O'Brien |
| Lord Commissioner of the Treasury | |
| In office 19 September 2019 – 16 September 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | Alister Jack |
| Succeeded by | Amanda Solloway |
| Member of Parliament forErewash | |
| In office 7 May 2015 – 30 May 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Jessica Lee |
| Succeeded by | Adam Thompson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1957-01-27)27 January 1957 (age 69) Shipley,West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Party | Conservative |
| Alma mater | University of Manchester |
| Website | Official website |
Margaret Ann Throup[1]OBE (born 27 January 1957)[2] is a BritishConservative Party politician who served as theMember of Parliament (MP) forErewash inDerbyshire from the2015 general election to the 2024 general election. Prior to entering politics, Throup worked as abiomedical scientist and business consultant.
Throup was appointedLord Commissioner of the Treasury in theChief Whip's office in September 2019, during thefirst Johnson ministry. On 16 September 2021, during thecabinet reshuffle, she was appointedParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Vaccines and Public Health.[3]
Maggie Throup was born on 27 January 1957 inShipley,West Riding of Yorkshire.[4][5] Her early education was at theBradford Girls' Grammar School,[6] which was a private fee-paying school at the time she attended. She graduated from theUniversity of Manchester with a BSc in biology.[7] After graduating she worked as abiomedical scientist at the Calderdale Health Authority for seven years, specialising inhaematology.[8] During her time at Calderdale Health Authority, she became a Fellow of the Institute of Biomedical Science.[8][9] She then pursued a career in marketing and public relations which included a directorship of a pharmaceutical company and running her own consultancy.[5][6][9]
Throup stood unsuccessfully as the Conservative candidate forColne Valley in West Yorkshire in the2005 general election, losing to theLabour party candidateKali Mountford.[10] She subsequently contested the constituency ofSolihull in the2010 general election, however lost to theLiberal Democrat candidateLorely Burt.[11]
Throup was subsequently selected as the Conservative candidate forErewash and was elected as MP for the constituency in the2015 general election with 20,636 (42.7%) votes and a majority of 3,584.[12] In the 2015–17 parliament, she was part of theHealth Select Committee and theScottish Affairs Committee.[13]
Throup supported remaining within the European Union (EU) in the2016 EU membership referendum.[14]
She held her seat in the2017 general election with 25,939 (52.1%) and an increased majority of 4,534.[15] After the election, Throup was re-elected onto the Health Select Committee, but stood down in February 2018.[16] Following the Government reshuffle in January 2018, Throup was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Ministerial team at The Department for Health and Social Care.[17]
She is the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Obesity, Heart Disease, and the secretary for the APPG on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery.[18][19]
In January 2016, a Labour-proposed amendment that would have required private landlords to make their homes "fit for human habitation" was rejected by 312 votes to 219. According to Parliament's register of interests, Throup was one of 72 MPs who voted against the amendment who derived an income from a property. Communities ministerMarcus Jones said the Government believed homes should be fit for human habitation but did not want to pass the new law that would explicitly require it.[20][21]
In May 2016, it was reported that Throup was one of a number of Conservative MPs beinginvestigated by police for allegedly spending more than the legal limit on constituency election campaign expenses.[22] In May 2017, the Crown Prosecution Service said that while there was evidence of inaccurate spending returns, it did not "meet the test" for further action.[23]
In September 2017, it was reported in the press that Throup had claimed expenses on first class tickets when she travelled by rail, despite official guidance from parliamentary watchdog IPSA – set up in the wake of the 2009 expenses scandal – saying politicians should "consider value for money" when booking tickets. She was revealed to be one of only 22 MPs who never travelled standard class. She argued that her claims were permissible within the expenses rules and that the first class tickets were cheaper than some standard class tickets available.[24]
In September 2019, she was appointed aLord Commissioner of the Treasury, making her a governmentwhip.[13]
Throup was re-elected in the2019 general election, with an increased majority of 10,606 votes.[25]
Throup was appointedOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the2024 New Year Honours for political and public service.[26]
She lost her seat toAdam Thompson at the 2024 election.
In September 2021, Throup was appointed as the newly-integratedParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Vaccines and Public Health, replacing bothJo Churchill (as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Prevention, Public Health and Primary Care) andNadhim Zahawi (as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment) during thecabinet reshuffle.[27][28] Throup rejoined the back benches on 8 September 2022,[29] whenLiz Trussappointed a new ministerial team after becoming prime minister.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forErewash 2015–2024 | Succeeded by |
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