Antoinette Sandbach
| Antoinette Sandbach MP | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of Parliament for Eddisbury | |
|
Assumed office 7 May 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Stephen O'Brien |
| Majority | 12,974 (27.4%) |
| Member of the Welsh Assembly for North Wales | |
|
In office 6 May 2011 – 8 May 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Brynle Williams |
| Succeeded by | Janet Haworth |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Antoinette Geraldine Mackeson-Sandbach 15 February 1969 Hafodunos, United Kingdom |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Matt |
| Children |
Sacha Sam |
| Alma mater | University of Nottingham |
| Website | Official website |
Antoinette Geraldine Mackeson-Sandbach (born 15 February 1969), known in politics as Antoinette Sandbach, is a Conservative Party politician who was elected as the Member of Parliament for Eddisbury at the 2015 general election. The following day, 8 May 2015, she resigned as the Welsh Assembly Member for the North Wales region. having been elected as a North Wales regional Assembly Member at the May 2011 election.[1]
Personal life
Her family has farmed the Hafodunos estate[2] in the Elwy valley of North Wales for six generations.[3] She was educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College and the University of Nottingham.[4] The eldest of four sisters,[2] she practised law under her birth name of Antoinette Mackeson-Sandbach, but dropped the Mackeson when she entered politics. She was a criminal barrister in London for 12 years. Her daughter Sacha was born in 2002 but she split from Sacha's father in 2003 and moved back to Hafodunos in 2005.[3] She lost a 5-day-old son, Sam, to SIDS in 2009[2] and is married to Matt, a sculptor.[3]
Political career
Sandbach made a speech at a Save the Rhino fundraiser in 2007 that led to suggestions that she should enter politics.[2] She rang the Tory office in Colwyn Bay and within three months was standing for the Welsh Assembly in Delyn (Flintshire).[2] She then used her legal experience in a part-time job with Clwyd West MP David Jones.[3]
In the 2010 general election, Sandbach contested the Labour-held parliamentary constituency of Delyn. She lost, but achieved a swing of 6.7% from Labour to Conservative.[5] Following the death of Brynle Williams in 2011, she became a Conservative Regional Assembly Member for North Wales and Shadow Rural Affairs Minister in the Welsh Assembly.[3]
In March 2015, Sandbach was selected as the Conservative Party candidate for the Conservative-held seat of Eddisbury in Cheshire, England.[6] She held the safe Conservative seat with a majority of nearly 13,000,[7] and promptly resigned from the Welsh Assembly, to be succeeded by Janet Haworth.[7]
Sandbach was opposed to Brexit prior to the 2016 referendum.[8]
References
- ↑ Welsh Assembly election 2011
- 1 2 3 4 5 Forgrave, Andrew (30 June 2011). "Art mirrors life for new North Wales Tory AM". Daily Post.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Batley, Sarah (19 July 2013). "At home with Antoinette Sandbach – Assembly Member for North Wales". Cheshire Life.
- ↑ 'MACKESON-SANDBACH, Antoinette, (Mrs M. R. Sherratt)', Who's Who 2016, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2016
- ↑ "Election 2010 – Delyn". BBC News. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- ↑ Flint, Rachel (26 March 2015). "North Wales AM Antoinette Sandbach selected as Tory election candidate in safe Cheshire seat". Daily Post. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- 1 2 "Election 2015: Antoinette Sandbach quits Welsh assembly". BBC News. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- ↑ Goodenough, Tom (16 February 2016). "Which Tory MPs back Brexit, who doesn't and who is still on the fence?". The Spectator. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
External links
- Official Website of Antoinette Sandbach AM
- Biography on the National Assembly for Wales website.
- Blog
| National Assembly for Wales | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Brynle Williams |
Assembly Member for North Wales 2011–2015 |
Succeeded by Janet Haworth |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Brynle Williams |
Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs 2011–present |
Incumbent |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by Stephen O'Brien |
Member of Parliament for Eddisbury 2015–present |
Incumbent |