Fiona Bruce (politician)

Fiona Bruce
MP
Member of Parliament
for Congleton
Assumed office
6 May 2010
Preceded by Ann, Lady Winterton
Majority 16,773 (32.9%)
Personal details
Born Fiona Claire Bruce
(1957-03-26) 26 March 1957
Wick, Highland, Scotland
Nationality British
Political party Conservative
Spouse(s) Richard Bruce
Children 2 sons
Alma mater University of Manchester
Religion Evangelical Christian
Website Official website
parliament..fiona-bruce

Fiona Claire Bruce[1] (born 26 March 1957)[2] is a British Conservative Party politician who is the Member of Parliament for Congleton, elected at the 2010 general election, and then again in 2015.[3][4]

Early life

Born Fiona Claire Riley at Wick in the Scottish Highlands, she was educated at Burnley High School for Girls and Howell's School Llandaff, before reading Law at the University of Manchester and further studies at Chester Law College.

She was admitted as a solicitor in 1981, and has been senior partner of the firm, Fiona Bruce & Co, since its formation in 1988.

Political career

Bruce was elected in 2004 to Warrington Borough Council, on which she served as Executive Member for Finance from 2006-2009. She stepped down from the Council upon her election to Parliament in 2010.

She had unsuccessfully contested Warrington South at the 2005 general election, finishing second to the sitting Labour MP, Helen Southworth.

She was awarded the title Small Businesswoman of the Year in 2003 and gained a place on the Conservative A-List in 2006.[5][6]

Following her selection as the Conservative Party candidate for the constituency, she denied that she had been chosen as a result of an orchestrated campaign by religious groups sympathetic to her evangelical Christian beliefs.[7] Bruce is an Evangelical Alliance council member and describes "defending and fighting for the sanctity of human life" as her priority in Parliament.[8]

She has been a member of the Scottish Affairs Select Committee since 2010.[9]

In February 2015, Bruce introduced an amendment to the Serious Crime Bill 2014 to make abortion on the grounds of the sex of the baby illegal.[10][11] The amendment was rejected by 292 votes to 201.[12]

Bruce supported Brexit in the 2016 referendum.[13]

Personal life

Bruce is married and has two sons. She is committed to the development of a school in Tanzania, and has been involved in numerous community projects, including cofounding a homeless support project and a drop-in advice centre.

References

  1. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 59418. p. 8740. 13 May 2010.
  2. ↑ "Who's Who". Ukwhoswho.com. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
  3. ↑ "Fiona Bruce". theyworkforyou.com.
  4. ↑ "BBC News - Election 2010 - Constituency - Congleton". bbc.co.uk.
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ Conservative A-List and selections dated 4 June 2006 at colin-ross.org.uk
  7. ↑ "Christian Tories rewrite party doctrine". The Financial Times. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  8. ↑ "Question Time". Evangelical Alliance. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  9. ↑ "Fiona Bruce". parliament.uk. 2010-05-06. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
  10. ↑ Bruce, Fiona. "Sex-selective abortion is unacceptable – we must make the law clear". Conservative Home. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  11. ↑ Ditum, Sarah (20 February 2015). "Against the Fiona Bruce amendment: why feminists should oppose the ban on sex-selective abortion". New Statesman. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  12. ↑ "MPs reject backbench bid to amend abortion laws". BBC. 24 February 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  13. ↑ 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.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Ann Winterton		 Member of Parliament for Congleton
2010–present 		Incumbent
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