About Dame Harriett

About Dame Harriett

Harriett was first elected as the Member of Parliament for West Worcestershire in May 2010.  She has been Chair of the Treasury Select Committee since 2022 and serves as Rapporteur to the Economics and Security Committee on the UK delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

During her time in Parliament she has held a variety of roles.  She served as a Government Whip and Economic Secretary to the Treasury (City Minister) in David Cameron’s Government and as Minister for Defence Procurement and as Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development in Theresa May’s Government.

From 2019 until 2022 she was Chair of the British Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her public and parliamentary services in March 2024.

She has lived in the Teme Valley with her husband Jim since 2006.  Between them they have three children and a growing number of grandchildren.

Before she entered politics, Harriett was a Managing Director at JPMorgan.  She has an MBA in International Finance from McGill University and an MA from Oxford University in Modern Languages (French and Russian).

Working for West Worcestershire

Harriett is a strong voice for West Worcestershire in Parliament, having been elected by an increased number of voters at every General Election since 2010. She has championed campaigns to build Malvern’s Community Hospital as well as the new Radiology Unit, the Breast Unit, a new birthing suite at Worcestershire Royal Hospital and most recently celebrated the opening of a £35 million new Emergency Department.

Harriett successfully campaigned for new flood defence schemes in Pershore, Upton-upon-Severn, Powick, Uckinghall and Kempsey and continues to campaign for the completion of permanent flood protection in Severn Stoke and Tenbury Wells.

Harriett has been a vocal supporter of the national campaign to improve funding for rural counties like Worcestershire and has supported work to build new classrooms at schools across West Worcestershire including the new science block and sixth form block at Hanley Castle High School and a new humanities block at Pershore High School.

As a champion of local public transport projects, she has worked with the County Council and Government to achieve the opening of the £22 million Worcestershire Parkway train station and continues to campaign for extra car parking capacity at Pershore station and further doubling of the North Cotswold Line.

Harriett also worked with Government Ministers to secure the funding to complete the doubling of the Carrington Road bridge and the £111 million Southern Link Road improvements, the delivery of the Pershore Link Road, the raising of the road alongside Upton-upon-Severn Marina and the construction of the Bluebell Farm Roundabout at the A38 near to Upton. She continues to work with the relevant parts of Government to identify solutions to the regularly flooded Hanley Road.

Thanks to Harriett's backing Malvern’s ambitious arts scene has benefited from the award of £20 million of Levelling Up funding to Malvern Theatres.

 

MPs declare their financial interests on a regular basis, the latest version can be found here.