Meg Hillier | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Chair of theTreasury Select Committee | |
| Assumed office 9 September 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Harriett Baldwin |
| Chair of thePublic Accounts Committee | |
| In office 18 June 2015 – 30 May 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Margaret Hodge |
| Succeeded by | Geoffrey Clifton-Brown[1] |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change | |
| In office 8 October 2010 – 7 October 2011 | |
| Leader | Ed Miliband |
| Preceded by | Ed Miliband |
| Succeeded by | Caroline Flint |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Identity | |
| In office 28 June 2007 – 12 May 2010 | |
| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
| Preceded by | Joan Ryan (Under-Secretary of State for Nationality, Citizenship and Immigration) |
| Succeeded by | Damian Green (Minister of State for Immigration) |
| Member of Parliament forHackney South and Shoreditch | |
| Assumed office 5 May 2005[2] | |
| Preceded by | Brian Sedgemore |
| Majority | 14,737 (35.4%) |
| Member of theLondon Assembly forNorth East | |
| In office 4 May 2000 – 10 June 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Jennette Arnold |
| Mayor of Islington | |
| In office May 1998 – May 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Rupert Perry |
| Succeeded by | Jenny Sands |
| Islington Borough Councillor for Sussex Ward | |
| In office 5 May 1994 – 2 May 2002 | |
| Succeeded by | Ward abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Margaret Olivia Hillier (1969-02-14)14 February 1969 (age 56) Hampstead, London, England |
| Political party | Labour and Co-operative |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | St Hilda's College, Oxford |
| Website | www |
Dame Margaret Olivia Hillier (born 14 February 1969), known asMeg Hillier, is a BritishLabour and Co-operativepolitician who has been theMember of Parliament (MP) forHackney South and Shoreditch since2005. Hillier was a juniorgovernment minister from 2007 until 2010 and was succeeded byCaroline Flint asShadowSecretary of State for Energy and Climate Change in theLabour Party October 2011 reshuffle.[3] She has been the chair of theTreasury Select Committee since 2024, having previously chaired thePublic Accounts Committee from 2015 to 2024.
Margaret Hillier was born on 14 February 1969 inHampstead, and educated atPortsmouth High School, a private school for girls inSouthsea,Hampshire. She then went toSt Hilda's College at theUniversity of Oxford, where she readPhilosophy, Politics and Economics.[4] During her time there she was elected Librarian of theOxford Union Society.[5]
Hillier worked as a journalist in regional press and social housing media and was elected as aCouncillor in theLondon Borough of Islington in1994, representing theSussex ward and serving asMayor ofIslington in1998, before standing down from the Council in2002. She was elected as a founding Member of theLondon Assembly forNorth East London at the firstLondon Assembly election of 2000, serving on the Assembly until 2004, and was a board member ofTransport for London until her election toParliament.
Hillier served asTrustee of theWar Memorials Trust from November 2001 until 2016.[6]
In 2004, Hillier wasselected as the Labourprospective parliamentary candidate to contestHackney South and Shoreditch through anall-women shortlist.[7] At the2005 general election, she was elected to theHouse of Commons as MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch, winning with 52.9% of the vote and a majority of 10,204.[7] Hillier made hermaiden speech on 24 May 2005, noting there were more men in the House of Commons that day than there had ever beenwomen MPs.[8]
Hillier served as member of theNorthern Ireland Affairs Select Committee for a year until she was appointedParliamentary Private Secretary to theSecretary of State for Communities and Local GovernmentRuth Kelly in 2006. In June 2007, she was appointed aParliamentary Under-Secretary of State at theHome Office.
During maternity leave beginning in March 2009, her ministerial role was taken over byShahid Malik. In March 2008, Hillier voted with the Government in favour of nationwide Post Office closures, including seven inHackney, of which her constituency forms a part.[9]
In December 2009, while promoting theNational Identity Card scheme as Identity Minister[10][11] inLiverpool, she admitted she had forgotten her own ID card,[12][13] attributing the error to the demands of looking after her baby.[14]
At the2010 general election, Hillier was re-elected as MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch with an increased vote share of 55.7% and an increased majority of 14,288.[15] She was again re-elected at the2015 general election with an increased vote share of 64.4% and an increased majority of 24,213.[16][17][18]
In June 2015, Hillier was elected Chairman of thePublic Accounts Committee (PAC) in succession toMargaret Hodge.[19] She was, as a result, among the 100 most influential people in theNHS according to theHealth Service Journal in 2016.[20] As chair, she has been critical of theTroubled Families programme, saying that the PAC's conclusions on the programme were "far more serious" than "a slap on the wrist" for ministers.[21]
An ardent supporter of the Remain campaign during the2016 EU referendum, Hillier announced that she was "devastated" that theUnited Kingdom voted to leave the European Union and that the decision was fuelled by "xenophobic undertones".[22]
She supportedOwen Smith in the failed attempt to replaceJeremy Corbyn in the2016 Labour Party leadership election.[23]
Hillier was again re-elected at thesnap2017 general election with an increased vote share of 79.4% and an increased majority of 37,931.[24][25]
She stood for election asSpeaker of the House of Commons during the2019 Speaker election. However, she was unsuccessful, securing 10 votes (or 1.8%) in the first round, and coming in 7th out of seven candidates.
At the2019 general election, Hillier was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 73.3% and a decreased majority of 33,985.[26]
Hillier was appointedDame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the2021 Birthday Honours for political and parliamentary service.[27][28]
At the2024 general election, Hillier was again re-elected, again with a decreased vote share of 59.3 and a decreased majority of 14,737.[29] She was elected unopposed as chair of theTreasury Select Committee on 9 September 2024.[30]
Hillier married Joe Simpson in 1997; the couple have three children.[31][32][permanent dead link] She is aRoman Catholic.[33]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forHackney South and Shoreditch 2005–present | Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 2010–2011 | Succeeded by |
