Laura Farris
Laura Rose Farris[1] (née McNair-Wilson) is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Newbury since the 2019 general election. Prior to her parliamentary career, she worked as a journalist and later as an employment law barrister.
Laura Farris | |
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Member of Parliament for Newbury | |
Assumed office 12 December 2019 | |
Preceded by | Richard Benyon |
Majority | 16,047 (26.8%) |
Personal details | |
Born | Laura Rose McNair-Wilson Bucklebury, West Berkshire, England |
Nationality | British |
Political party | Conservative |
Spouse(s) | Henry Farris |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater | Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford |
Occupation | Politician |
Profession | Journalist, barrister |
Website | Official website |
Early life
Farris was born and grew up in Bucklebury, West Berkshire, England.[2] Both her father Michael McNair-Wilson and uncle Patrick McNair-Wilson are former Conservative MPs.[3] She studied philosophy, politics and economics at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, graduating in 2000 with an upper second class degree.[2][4] Farris worked as a journalist for BBC and Reuters and also worked for Hillary Clinton when she was US Senator for New York.[5]
She retrained as a barrister and qualified in 2007, specialising in employment and discrimination law.[4]
Parliamentary career
Farris was selected as the Conservative candidate for Newbury on 10 November 2019.[6] She had previously stood as a candidate in the notionally safe Labour seat of Leyton and Wanstead in London.[7] Farris was elected as Newbury MP with a majority of 16,047 in the 2019 general election. Her father had previously represented the constituency between 1974 and 1992.[8] She has been a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee since March 2020.[9]
Personal life
She is married to Henry Farris and they have two daughters.[10][11][12]
References
- "Members Sworn". parliament.uk. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- Bond, Daniel (16 December 2019). "Class of 2019: Meet the new MPs". Politics Home. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- "Introducing the six candidates shortlisted for Devizes". ConservativeHome. 28 October 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- "Laura Farris". Littleton Chambers. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- "Election 2019: the lawyers standing for parliament". The Lawyer. 30 October 2019.(subscription required)
- "Conservatives select Newbury candidate". Newbury Today. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- "Leyton and Wanstead". parliament.uk. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- "Conservatives hold Newbury as Laura Farris elected". Newbury Today. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- "Membership". parliament.uk. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
- "Election 2017: Conservatives announce Remain-supporting barrister Laura Farris as candidate for Leyton and Wanstead". Ilford Recorder. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- "Mr H. Farris and Miss L. McNair-Wilson". The Daily Telegraph.(subscription required)
- "Farris". The Daily Telegraph.(subscription required)
External links
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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Preceded by Richard Benyon |
Member of Parliament for Newbury 2019–present |
Incumbent |