Esther McVey

Credentials

Background

Esther McVey has been a Conservative MP since 2010, first representing the Wirral West constituency and subsequently Tatton. After losing her seat in 2015, McVey served as Chair of the British Transport Police Authority for two years before being re-elected to parliament.⁴^, ⁵^, ⁶

McVey was Secretary of State for Work and Pensions between January and November 2018, resigning in opposition to then Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal. She was also Housing Minister in the UK government from July 2019 to February 2020, when she lost the role in a cabinet reshuffle. Other government roles include Work and Pensions Minister and Deputy Chief Whip. Tom Herbert.⁷^, ⁸^, ⁹

She stood in the Conservative Party leadership contest in June 2019, coming last.¹⁰

In 2023, McVey given the new cabinet role of “Commonsense Tsar” by Rishi Sunak in a cabinet reshuffle.¹¹

McVey has caused controversy over the years with her comments on the welfare system, defending the “bedroom tax” introduced by David Cameron’s government and describing the rise of “foodbanks” since the financial crisis as “positive”.¹²

During this time, McVey was forced to apologise to parliament for misleading MPs about an official report on the “universal credit” system of benefits. She had claimed that the report recommended the system be rolled out more quickly when in fact it said it should be paused.¹³

McVey has been a supporter of the Conservative Way Forward pressure group, founded by former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.¹⁴

Before becoming an MP, McVey worked as a broadcaster and journalist, beginning her career as a graduate trainee at the BBC and later co-presenting the GMTV breakfast show.¹⁵^,¹⁶

In December 2021, Civil Service World reported that McVey had broken anti-lobbying rules when she joined GB News as a presenter in June 2021, because she had taken the job without applying for the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA)’s go-ahead. ACOBA chair Eric Pickles wrote to Cabinet Office minister Steve Barclay about the issue, saying that “the ministerial code is clear that an application is needed for all outside roles”. McVey had said that she did not think she needed to contact the committee when she first joined GB News as a contributor.¹⁷

McVey is married to fellow Conservative MP Philip Davies, one of only five MPs to have voted against the UK‘s Climate Change Act in 2008.¹⁸

Stance on Climate Change

June 10, 2019

During the Conservative leadership contest, McVey refused to back a 2050 “net zero” emissions target for the UK, saying:¹⁹

“If you want to guarantee failure, get politicians to set a target.

“Preserving our natural environment is vital for the legacy we leave future generations and we must take action to combat climate change.”

“We should recognise that it’s often working people in traditional industries who are expected to pay the price. Climate change affects us all, but this is a hard message to land with someone who has lost their job. It is also true that many of the measures proposed by more wealthy environmental activists would result in rising costs for working families.”