Chloe Smith

Chloe Smith was first elected as the Conservative MP for Norwich North in its 2009 by-election. Smith was born in Ashford and took an interest in Conservative politics from an early age. She spent her gap year working for the former Conservative education secretary Gillian Sheppard before reading English Literature at the University of York and undertook summer work for Bernard Jenkin MP. She began her career in management consultancy, working at Deloitte for five years before she became the youngest MP in parliament when she won Norwich North in 2009. Re-elected at the general election the following year, she became an assistant whip and in 2011 joined the government as economic secretary to the Treasury. In 2012, she became minister for the constitution in the Cabinet Office before returning to backbenches and joining the Transport Committee in 2013. In 2014, Smith won the Grassroots Diplomat Initiative business driver award for her Norwich for Jobs scheme that promotes youth employment in her constituency. Smith voted Remain in the 2016 referendum but has since backed the government’s plans to leave the European Union with a deal. After being re-elected at the 2017 general election with a much-reduced majority, Smith returned to the government as parliamentary under-secretary for Northern Ireland and in 2018 returned to her former role as minister for the constitution. She supported Boris Johnson in the 2019 Conservative leadership race. In February 2020, she was appointed minister of state at the cabinet office.