Helen Whately
Helen Olivia Bicknell Whately (née Lightwood; born 23 June 1976) is a British politician serving as Minister of State for Social Care since October 2022, and previously from 2020 to 2021. She also served as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury from 2021 to 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, she has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Faversham and Mid Kent since 2015.
Helen Whately MP | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Minister of State for Social Care | |
| Assumed office 26 October 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Rishi Sunak |
| Preceded by | Robert Jenrick |
| In office 13 February 2020 – 16 September 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | Caroline Dinenage |
| Succeeded by | Gillian Keegan |
| Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury | |
| In office 16 September 2021 – 7 July 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | Kemi Badenoch |
| Succeeded by | Alan Mak |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Arts, Heritage and Tourism | |
| In office 10 September 2019 – 13 February 2020 | |
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | Rebecca Pow |
| Succeeded by | Nigel Huddleston |
| Deputy Chair of the Conservative Party | |
| In office 17 April 2019 – 10 September 2019 | |
| Leader | Theresa May Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | James Cleverly |
| Succeeded by | Paul Scully |
| Member of Parliament for Faversham and Mid Kent | |
| Assumed office 7 May 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Hugh Robertson |
| Majority | 21,976 (43.6%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Helen Olivia Bicknell Lightwood 23 June 1976 Norwich, Norfolk, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse |
Marcus Whately (m. 2005) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Westminster School |
| Alma mater | Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford |
| Website | helenwhately |
Whately was appointed Deputy Chair of the Conservative Party by Theresa May in 2019, and was retained in the position by new Prime Minister Boris Johnson. She served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Arts, Heritage and Tourism from September 2019 to February 2020. In the 2020 cabinet reshuffle, Johnson moved her to the post of Minister of State for Social Care. Whately was the Social Care Minister during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. In the 2021 cabinet reshuffle, Johnson moved her to the post of Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, serving under Chancellor Rishi Sunak. In July 2022, she resigned from the position in protest at Johnson's leadership amid a government crisis. She served on the backbenches during Liz Truss's tenure as Prime Minister, before returning to her former role of Social Care Minister in October 2022 under Sunak.