Sally-Ann Hart

Sally-Ann Hart (born 6 March 1968) is a British politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hastings and Rye since 2019. A member of the Conservative Party, she succeeded former cabinet minister Amber Rudd, who did not seek reelection.[2]

Sally-Ann Hart

MP
Member of Parliament
for Hastings and Rye
Assumed office
12 December 2019
Preceded byAmber Rudd
Majority4,043 (7.5%)
Personal details
Born (1968-03-06) 6 March 1968[1]
Tynemouth, England
NationalityBritish
Political partyConservative
Websitewww.sallyannhart.org.uk

Hart was investigated over alleged antisemitism and Islamophobia by the Conservative Party, over content which she shared and comments that she made on social media.[3][4][5]

Political career

Hart stood as the Conservative Party candidate for North West Durham in the 2017 general election. Receiving 16,516 votes (34.5%), Hart failed to be elected by 8,792 votes, finishing in second place behind Labour candidate Laura Pidcock.[6]

Hart was selected to stand as the Conservative candidate for Hastings and Rye at the 2019 General Election. At a constituency hustings on 5 December 2019, Hart was asked about an artice she'd shared on Facebook which suggested that people with learning difficulties should not be guaranteed a minimum wage. She defended the view and said "it's about the happiness to work",[7] "some people with learning difficulties they don’t understand about money". In a statement made to the Guardian Hart said: “My comments have been taken out of context, but I do apologise if any offence or alarm has been caused".[7] Marsha de Cordova, then Shadow Minister for Disabled People, called the comments "hateful".[8]

In December 2019, an inquiry was initiated by the Conservative Party into Hart after it was discovered that, in 2017, she shared a video which contained the conspiracy theory that Jewish billionaire George Soros controls the European Union. She liked a comment underneath the video which said "Ein Reich" ("One Empire"), a Nazi slogan.[9][3][10][11] A second investigation was opened days later over her sharing a blog post, in January 2017, by the anti-Islam activist Cheri Berens. Hart described the blog, in which Berens condemned the 2017 Women's March against U.S. president Donald Trump as being used to promote a "Muslim agenda", as an "affecting read".[3][12][13][14]

Hart was elected on 12 December as MP for Hastings and Rye with 26,896 votes (49.6%) and a majority of 4,043 votes.[15] Following the election she was named by The Guardian as one of the seven "most controversial" new Conservative MPs.[16]

On 10 August 2020, in an interview with Krishnan Guru-Murthy for Channel 4 News, Hart stated that the investigation into the allegations over her social media posts had concluded and that she was "not found to be anti-Semitic, islamophobic or anything else", although she had attended social media training.[17]

Personal life

Hart was born in Northumberland, she's married with three children.[18]

Electoral performance
UK general elections
Date of election Constituency Party Votes % of votes Result
2017 general election North West Durham Conservative 16,516 34.5 Not elected
2019 general election Hastings and Rye Conservative 26,896 49.6 Elected

References
  1. "Members' Names Data Platform query". UK Parliament. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  2. "Conservatives win Hastings and Rye General Election as Sally-Ann Hart increases majority". Hastings and St. Leonards Observer. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  3. Proctor, Kate; Syal, Rajeev (11 December 2019). "Tories open second investigation into Hastings candidate". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  4. "General election 2019: Lib Dems lose Eastbourne to Conservatives". BBC News. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  5. Sharman, Jon (11 December 2019). "Tory candidate faces Islamophobia investigation days after saying disabled people should be paid less". The Independent. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  6. "Durham North West parliamentary constituency". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  7. Busby, Mattha (6 December 2019). "Tory candidate defends low pay for people with learning disabilities". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  8. "Tory candidate says disabled people should be paid less as they 'don't understand money'". The Independent. 6 December 2019.
  9. Proctor, Kate (7 December 2019). "Tories investigate three candidates over alleged antisemitism". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  10. "Two Tories win seats despite investigations over antisemitism". Jewish News. 13 December 2019.
  11. "Tory Party accused of 'inaction' over antisemitism investigations into MPs". www.thejc.com. 13 July 2020.
  12. "Hastings and Rye candidate Sally-Ann Hart under investigation by Conservative party". The Hastings Observer.
  13. Smyth, Chris (16 December 2019). "Two new Tories facing prejudice inquiries". The Times. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  14. Phillips, Aleks (15 December 2019). "Michael Gove says allegations of antisemitism against new Tory MP 'a cause of concern'". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  15. "Hastings & Rye parliamentary constituency". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  16. Syal, Rajeev; Mason, Rowena (16 December 2019). "Who are the Conservatives' most controversial new MPs?". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  17. Guru-Murthy, Krishnan (10 August 2020). "Tory MP: Migrant crossings are 'unacceptable and putting lives at risk'". Channel 4 News.
  18. "About Sally-Ann Hart". Sally-Ann Hart.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Amber Rudd		 Member of Parliament for Hastings and Rye
2019–present		 Incumbent


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