Helen is the Member of Parliament for Faversham and Mid Kent. She was first elected in 2015 and was re-elected at the 2017, 2019 and 2024 General Elections.
In addition to her role as a local MP, Helen is the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. Prior to this she served as Shadow Secretary of State for Transport since July 2024.
In the last Parliament, Helen served in a number of high profile roles in Government.
She served two long stints in the Health Department as Minister of State for Health and Social Care, first in the pandemic between 2020 and 2021, and then again from October 2022 until the election in 2024.
In between these stints as Care Minister, Helen served as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury from 2021 to 2022.
And before being appointed to the Health Department, Helen was Arts Minister in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, as well as serving as Deputy Chair of the Conservative Party and Vice Chair for Women.
Before taking a position on the frontbench, Helen served on the House of Commons Health Select Committee from June 2015 to May 2017, and formerly chaired the All Party Parliamentary Groups for Mental Health, and Fruit and Vegetable Farmers.
Biography
Helen grew up in Surrey. She was educated at schools in Surrey and London, and studied Politics and Philosophy at Oxford University.
After university Helen trained as a management accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers. She moved on to run a business unit at AOL Time Warner. In this role she negotiated deals for AOL Europe.
Helen then established a career in healthcare consultancy. For nearly a decade, she worked with NHS hospitals, helping them improve care and make the most of resources. She has also advised healthcare regulators and commissioners, and worked on healthcare policy.
Alongside her career, Helen has worked with several charities as a volunteer and adviser, and has also been a school governor.
In 2010, Helen stood for Parliament in Kingston and Surbiton, gaining a Conservative swing of 2.4%. She won the 2015 General Election for Faversham and Mid Kent, winning more than 50% of all votes cast. Helen held the seat in the 2017 General Election, winning 61.1% of the vote and increasing her majority to 17,413. In the 2019 General Election, Helen won 63.2% of all votes cast and increased her majority to 21,976.
Helen is married and has three children.
Photo credit: Alan Smith, Kent Online.