Andrea Leadsom

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Andrea Jacqueline Leadsom (née Salmon), a British Conservative politician who has been Secretary of State for Industry, Electricity, and Industrial Strategy since 2019, and has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for South Northamptonshire since 2010.

Leadsom served as House of Commons Leader from 2017 to 2019.

Leadsom has unsuccessfully attempted to run for Leader of the Conservative Party in both 2016 and 2019. She began a career in Finance, first as the Senior Investment Officer and Head of Corporate Governance at Invesco Perpetual after graduating with a degree in political science at the University of Warwick, and then as Senior Investment Officer and Head of Corporate Governance. Leadsom was a prominent participant of the Leave campaign in 2016 and gained prominence in referendum television debates.

Leadsom resigned as one of five candidates in the 2016 election for the leadership of the governing Conservative Party and, consequently, the position of Prime Minister David Cameron.

She came second in the second round of voting by MPs, second to Theresa May.

Leadsom was named Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs by May. Leadsom served as Environment Secretary in the May Department from 2016 to 2017.

She served as Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change from 2015 to 2016, and Treasury Secretary from 2014 to 2015, as Minister of State for Finance and Climate Change in the Cameron-Clegg coalition.

Leadsom was elected Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons following the snap election of 2017.

On May 22, 2019, she resigned in protest against May's Brexit policy.

May resigned as the party's leader in June 2019, but she was disqualified in the first round of voting, finishing eighth out of ten candidates with 11 votes.

Personal life

Ben Leadsom, the company's founder, was married in 1993 and has two sons and one daughter. For several months after the birth of her first child, she suffered with postnatal depression.

Leadsom believes that Christianity plays a central role in her life. "I am a deeply committed Christian," she told Tim Ross of The Daily Telegraph. I believe that my values and everything I do are influenced by it." She belongs to "many Bible study groups" with other parliamentarians and prays "all the time." In a video shared on the website of the all-party Parliament group Christians in Parliament, she has openly about her Christian faith.

Leadsom's book Snakes and Ladders, published by Biteback in July 2022.

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Early life and financial career

Leadsom was born in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, on May 13, 1963, the son of Richard and Judy Salmon (née Kitchin). She completed Tonbridge Girls' Grammar School and then read Political Science at the University of Warwick.

Leadsom began working in finance as a debt trader for Barclays de Zoete Weddd, and then Barclays Bank's investment bank division. She spent time as Deputy Director of Barclays' Financial Institutions team from 1993; this required the maintenance of contractual relationships with other banks. She said she was given a "ringside seat" in the demise of Barings Bank in this role. Leadsom was involved in a tumultuous conversation with Barclays Investments' CEO, who wanted to persuade her to return to full-time employment following a pregnancy, and she left the firm in 1997.

Leadsom served as the Managing Director of De Putron Fund Management (DPFM) from 1997 to 1999. In 1998, she was promoted to board director for marketing.

Leadsom was Invesco Perpetual's Head of Corporate Governance and a Senior Investment Officer from 1999 to 2009. Her primary job was to work (part-time) on "special initiatives," mainly for the Chief Investment Officer, which included negotiating salary terms for senior fund managers. Towards the end of her tenure, she consulted on a variety of issues of governance, but she had no one reporting to her in either capacity. Leadsom has never claimed to have been a fund manager, and former Invesco Perpetual and Leadsom's former Chief Investment Officer Bob Yerbury denied that she ever said she was "fully honest" in her account.

Leadsom served as a Councillor on South Oxfordshire District Council from 2003 to 2007.

In the 2005 general election, she contested the safe Labour seat of Knowsley South constituency unsuccessfully and finished in third place, adding just under 1% to the previous election. She was later on the Conservative A-List and later selected to represent South Northamptonshire, the newly formed seat.

Political career

Leadsom was elected as the parliamentary candidate in the newly established South Northamptonshire constituency in June 2006. "I am supporting a nominal Conservative majority of 11,356 people," ConservativeHome's founder said in 2009. Leadsom was elected with a majority of more than 20,000 in May's 2010 general election. On entering the House of Commons, she was elected as a member of the Treasury Select Committee. During the budget debate on June 22, she gave her first speech on June 22, 2010 when she spoke of restoring health to the financial market, notably with Barings Bank.

Leadsom campaigned for EU reform. "Research and create enthusiasm for reforming the EU," she co-founded the Fresh Start Project in September with Conservative MPs Chris Heaton-Harris and George Eustice. Leadsom was one of 81 Conservative MPs to defy the party whip and vote in favor of a referendum on the UK's membership in the European Union on October 25. At the time, George Osborne, the Exchequer's Chancellor, erupted in a violent confrontation, which she denies. She pressed for the removal of the minimum wage, maternity leave, discrimination policies, and pensions from British employees in May 2012.

She was widely reported on in July 2012 for her role in the Treasury Select Committee's disapproving Bob Diamond during the Libor scandal. Paul Tucker was questioned at a later hearing after she said that the previous government had not conspired with the Bank to set rates. Leadsom said in a BBC interview that the suggestion has now been "fully discounted by Paul Tucker," and that, on that particular point, Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls may want to apologise to Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls for "suggesting" that Balls "had] a lot to answer about the controversy and his time in office." Despite the fact that "in terms of skills, she must be right at the top of the list of 2010 newbies who should be promoted," Mike Smithson suggested that this could be a reason for Osborne to delay a promotion in the 2012 cabinet reshuffle.

Leadsom was one of five MPs to decline from the Government's Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill by voting in both lobbies. Leadsom had earlier said that the wording of the bill was "deeply wrong" and that voting no represented "so many" of her constituents' views, but ultimately decided not to vote against one that will mean so much to the minority of homosexual couples for whom marriage is the ultimate reward for their genuine feelings for each other. However, I cannot vote for a measure that jeopardizes centuries of faith-based marriage belief. During her Conservative Party leadership race in 2016, she said she would have chosen a situation in which there are two types of services. "I would like to make it clear that I fully endorse the lifelong commitment made by any loving couple and that, I think the legal basis of a same sex marriage should be no different than that of a heterosexual couple," Leadsom said following the election.

Leadsom was named by David Cameron to the Number 10 Policy Unit in October 2013, with responsibility for a portion of the public services briefing.

Following Maria Miller's departure from the Cabinet, Leadsom was appointed Economic Secretary to the Treasury on September 9, 2014. She was also given the additional charge of City Minister, a position that had previously been held concurrently with the Treasury's position.

Leadsom was instrumental in the introduction of the Sukukuk, the UK Government's first Islamic bonds. This was the first Islamic bond to be listed outside of the Islamic world. "The strong demand for the Sukuk not only ensures good value for money for the taxpayer," Leadsom said, but also solidifies Britain's status as the western hub of Islamic finance and is part of our long-term economic initiative to make the UK the undisputed capital of the global financial system.

According to the Financial Times, her tenure as City Minister was seen by departmental officials as "a disgrace," "the worst minister we've ever had." ... She found it difficult to resolve problems or make decisions. She was monomaniacal, seeing the EU as the source of every problem. She alienated authorities by blaming poor planning."

She formed the company Bandal with her husband in about 1997 and acquired property in Oxford and Surrey. Loans from Kleinwort Benson's Jersey arm were used to finance the company, which was financed by a private bank. Leadsom was discovered in 2014 that she had sold her shares to a trust fund for her children. "This is a normal business situation, and no tax that is owing is being paid," a Leadsom spokesman said. None of the loans for the properties are located in the United States.

In 2014, The Independent revealed that she had received a series of gifts totaling £70,000 to pay for the FSP's printing and research expenses over the course of three years. The company is owned by her brother in law, whose family is based in the British Virgin Islands. Leadsom's husband, Ben, is a director of the organisation that made the gifts, which were used to pay the salaries of employees in Leadsom's Westminster office after she resigned as an MP; the company has also donated £816,000 to the Conservative Party. Since the firm that was delivering the donations, Gloucester Research (later referred to GR Software and Research) was based in London, the contributions adhered to the law prohibiting political contributions from abroad. "While these very generous contributions may have been within the guidelines, Labour MP Tom Watson said: "It's not correct that a Treasury minister has been taking money in this manner." The majority of rational people would see this as entirely absurd."

Leadsom was re-elected as an MP for South Northamptonshire on May 7, 2015, compared to her nearest competitor Lucy Mills (Labour) with 10,191 votes. Leadsom, who had previously opposed wind farms and European renewable energy goals, was elevated from Economic Secretary to Treasury on May 11th, 2015, and Amber Rudd, who had been promoted to Secretary of State at the same department, was named as Minister of State at the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Leadsom also announced the end of taxpayer-funded wind farms onshore wind farms in 2015, saying "we now have enough onshore wind in the pipeline to be able to meet our renewable electricity goals." This was a year earlier than had expected and was in accordance with the Conservative Party manifesto.

Leadsom played a key role in the EU Exit campaign in June 2016. She argued that Mark Carney, the Bank of England's Governor, had destabilized financial markets and jeopardized the Bank's independence by alerting of short-term negative effects caused by leaving the EU.

Leadsom appeared on the "Leave" panel, as well as Gisela Stuart and Boris Johnson in a televised debate on the referendum. She denied suggestions that the UK should pursue single market membership, saying that 80% of the world's economy, as well as the majority of EU free-trade agreements, are not within the single market. She also said that the UK economy is too large to need the single market, but that the EU trade process is impeded.

Following the referendum vote on June 23, 2016, David Cameron declared that he would resign as Prime Minister and Prime Minister by October. Leadsom was one of the early favorites to replace Prime Minister David Cameron, and he was also linked to a potential role as Chancellor. On June 30, 2016, she declared her candidacy to lead the Conservative Party. Leadsom said she will trigger Article 50 as soon as Prime Minister and press forward with EU talks as a result.

Theresa May received votes from 165 MPs in the first round of voting on July 5, 2016, while Leadsom came second with 66 votes. Leadsom came in second with 84 votes in the second round. Michael Gove was defeated by 46 votes. Theresa May received 199 votes. Leadsom announced on July 11th that she would no longer be involved in leadership, leaving Theresa May as the successor to David Cameron.

Leadsom expressed her dissatisfaction with her leadership campaign, as well as accusations by rivals' attempts to prevent her from voting in a BBC interview on July 7th. She dismissed "ridiculous" allegations that her biography was deceive, saying that her "very null" CV is "absolutely correct."

Leadsom promised to "banish the pessimists" and ensure the UK's prosperity if elected, and she said she was committed to fair trade. When elected, she said she would revisit the Hunting Act with a focus on animal welfare, and she was concerned about the legislation that passed to implement same sex marriage. Leadsom advised Theresa May not to repeat her pledge to allow parliamentary time to debate repealing the hunting ban before the 2017 election, but she was refused. She also blasted rival Theresa May's attempt to use the status of EU nationals living in the United Kingdom as "bargaining chips," claiming that if she were to vote, they would remain.

Leadsom had overstated her private sector experience and responsibilities, according to a Times and other news outlets on July 6, 2016. Despite references she had made to her wealth management "billions of pounds" and her impressive job titles, they said she had only been given financial services regulator permission for a short three-month period at Invesco Perpetu, and she had exaggerated her level of involvement and her management skills. Former Chief Investment Officer and Leadsom's Bob Yerbury denied the rumors over how she characterized her time there and said she was "completely honest" during her time there.

The reports, according to Penny Mordaunt, a Leadsom supporter, were "a coordinated effort to destroy a stellar career." Leadsom's resume was updated, which was revealed in The Guardian as both deputy financial institutions director and financial institution director positions at Barclays. In a BBC interview, Leadsom defended her CV, saying that the allegations of it being exaggerated were "ridiculous." She said, "I have not updated my CV." "I was always clear; I was a senior investment officer working closely with the chief investment officer." I'm not a money manager; I'm not a wealth manager, as I've been saying. I was in Barclays and BZW, leading large teams of people and large budgets, as well as being responsible for the trading relations. Barclays is a major player in the large corporate and institutional banking industry, so the trading relationships are extensive – billions, billions, and billions of pounds. To be very careful not to deceive, Barclays is a major player in the big corporate and institutional banking industry, and therefore the trading relationships are incredibly complex. So, when I was there as the financial institution's director [sic] in charge of the UK banking relationship, I was responsible for billions of pounds in trading lines and facilities to those firms. "I've never said I was a fund manager, and I've never been a fund manager," she said. She was only allowed to handle funds for three months, according to FSA records.

Leadsom's remarks in a newspaper interview were misinterpreted as hinting that she being a mother meant she was a better option for Prime Minister than May, who has not been able to have children for health reasons because it meant she had "a huge stake" in the future. "I did not want this to be 'Andrea has children, not' because that would be awful," she said. Leadsom said she was "disappointed" by the story, which was the "act opposite of what I wrote" when it was published. The Times later published a partial transcript of the remarks, and leadsom supporter Penny Mordaunt said that the company was trying to "smear" Leadsom. The Times later posted an audio recording. Sarah Wollaston and Anna Soubry, among other Conservative MPs, were chastised for her remarks, who suggested she lacked the authority to be Prime Minister and called on her to resign. Alan Duncan characterized her words as "vile." Leadsom's campaign manager for the leadership race, Tim Loughton, said the team was ganging up on her.

When she made it to the final ballot of the leadership race, she promised to publish her tax returns. After rival Theresa May's publication of four years of tax returns, three days later, she released "one year of tax returns." "This isn't her tax return; it's a tax computation," Richard Murphy, a tax campaign firm, said, "it's a summary of numerical data but not an analysis of where it came from or what tax payment is due." It does not contain any information that may be of concern, so she has not revealed her tax returns."

Iain Duncan Smith, the former conservative leader, claimed that the sniping at Leadsom revealed ulterior motives, unconnected to her work for the newspaper, and that it represented "a true and brutal effort to destroy her image," writing later. "I have no doubt whatsoever that Leadsom became the object of a brutal and persistent character assassination," Allison Pearson wrote in the Sunday Telegraph. "Andrea Leadsom has nothing to be ashamed of," she wrote the next day, but her conscience is straightforward. Many that attempted to kill her should investigate their files in case they can find it. Norman Tebbit described the attempts to smear her candidature as a ferocious smear campaign, saying he believes they may have arisen from her opposition to gay marriage as well as her Euroskepticism.

Leadsom resigned from the Conservative leadership race on July 11, 2016, saying she did not have enough votes for her cause, despite receiving just a quarter of the parliamentary majority. According to The Guardian, the previous day The Sunday Times had announced a rumor that up to 20 Tory MPs would leave the party if Leadsom were to win the leadership race; reports in other news outlets followed this but "denied by MPs."

"The interests of our country are best served by the prompt nomination of a solid and well-funded prime minister," Leadsom said. I am therefore withdrawing from the leadership race, and I wish Mrs May the very best of luck." Tim Loughton, her campaign manager, discussed an "onslaught of often personal attacks from coworkers and journalists" as well as "underhand tactics against decent people." Leadsom's reputation had been harmed by the news media, with reports chastising her exaggeration of company and leadership experience and her assertion that motherhood boosted her chances for Prime Minister Tony Blair's candidature. In reaction to the newspaper's coverage of the motherhood story, Leadsom charged The Times with "gutter journalism." Leadsom's statement was confirmed by the Times later this week when they released the audio tapes of the interview. Although she later apologized "for any hurt she had caused" to Theresa May, she also revealed that she had felt "under pressure" under intense pressure.

"This is less than 25% of the parliamentary party and... In her resignation address she thanked the 84 MPs who had endorsed her, acknowledging that "this is less than half of the parliamentary party and..." If I win the leadership race, I do not think this is enough to ensure a strong and stable government. Leadsom's other remarks during the leadership race came to light, prompting condemnation. During a telephone interview with The Times on July 6, she had stated that men were more likely to be paedophiles than women, and therefore, were not able to be hired for daycare jobs. Several MPs in opposition parties had requested that May be barred from the Cabinet, but the prime minister refused to do so.

Leadsom was elected Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs in July 14, 2016, following Theresa May's election as the Head of the Conservative Party and the establishment of the first May ministry.

Leadsom was told not to publish a study of unlawfully high rates of diesel pollution affecting over half of the population until the election. Dr. Jo Murkens and Colin Talbot, both constitutional experts, said it was a health condition and not affected by the election, and therefore not affected by the election; the government was instructed to appear in the high court to explain the delay.

Leadsom was invited to talk about the election on Newsnight and said that the government had got off to a good start. Leadsom said that broadcasters should be "a little more patriotic" when being interviewed by Emily Maitlis. Tim Farron said his remarks were "a sinister threat to the free media," a comment made by Hugo Rifkind in The Times, whilst Peston mocked his patriotism by decorating the studio with Union Jacks on Sunday.

Leadsom was elected Chief of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council on June 11, 2017. Leadsom said in July 2017, "I would just add one more wonderful lady to the lovely list, who I am delighted to celebrate with," she said of Jane Austen, who will be included on the new £10 note, which I believe is one of our top living authors." "Greatest ever authors" she proclaimed herself, amid laughter from both benches. "I think it's amazing" that at last we are starting to understand – well, many of us obviously wish she were still alive – but I certainly share the sentiment."

Leadsom suggested on July 19, 2018 as an update to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Policy, that the identity of any MP under scrutiny by the commissioner for standards should be kept confidential. This was in part in light of sexual assault charges made in previous years, including those made by Carl Beech (Operation Midlands) and the 2017 Westminster sexual harassment allegations. Leadsom said that this step was not about lowering transparency, but rather "to place secrecy at the forefront of the procedure for the sake of the complainant." MPs objected, but the motion was carried by 79 votes to 22; a poor turnout at Westminster.

Leadsom was chastised in the House of Commons by House Speaker John Bercow for the government's inability to promote proxy voting for expectant mothers on January 14, 2019. The topic came to a close due to Tulip Sidddiq's imminent caesarean section delivery at the time of the rescheduled meaningful election on January 15, 2019.

Leadsom said that the House of Commons' February recess from 15 to February would be postponed to allow time for the necessary Brexit-related legislation to be published. Earlier in the day, her cabinet colleague Jeremy Hunt speculated that Brexit could be postponed with a technical extension to Article 50. Senior government ministers were concerned that it was now too late to meet the Brexit deadline of 29 March, according to the Times, and that Conservative MPs had been warned that a one-line whip was likely to be imposed on Commons votes during the week of 18-22 February.

Leadsom said she was "seriously considering" a bid for the party's leadership on May 8, 2019. Leadsom resigned as the House of Commons leader on May 22nd, the eve of the European elections, as a result of Theresa May's most recent Brexit plans, which included the granting of votes in the House of Commons on a customs union and a second referendum.

Leadsom officially announced her candidacy for the party leadership on May 25th, the same day that Matt Hancock and Dominic Raab declared their candidacy. Chris Heaton-Harris and Heather Wheeler were both introduced and seconded by her peers. On June 13, 2019, Leadsom was voted out of the first ballot and finished in eighth place out of ten candidates.

Leadsom was appointed Secretary of State for Industry, Energy, and Industrial Strategy on July 24, 2019, following Boris Johnson's election as Leader of the Conservative Party and the establishment of the first Johnson Cabinet.

On October 19, she said she had been subjected to "frightening abuse" from anti-Brexit protesters while walking outside Westminster's Palace. Following a House of Commons session, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Michael Gove were also targeted. Leadsom was given a police escort amid a crowd of people gathered for a new public vote on Brexit.

Leadsom voted for a larger majority in the 2019 general election.

After Leadsom approved plans for the expansion of the gas-fired Drax Power Station in Yorkshire in May 2020, the environmental law charity ClientEarth unsuccessfully sued the UK government. When fully operational, the power station would be Europe's biggest gas-fired power station, according to the charity, and it would lead to 75% of the UK's energy sector emissions.

Leadsom was dismissed as Business Secretary by Boris Johnson in the first cabinet reshuffle of the second Johnson administration on February 13, 2020.

Leadsom tabled an amendment made by herself to avoid Owen Paterson's suspension for 30 days as a result of a Commons advocacy statute concerning lobbying as part of his second work on November 3-2021. Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, then ordered a three-line whip of his MPs to ensure that the motion gained 250 votes to 232. The government had re-ruled this decision the next day in the midst of a backlash.

Leadsom announced his support for Penny Mordaunt in the Conservative Party leadership election in July 2022 and served as Mordaunt's campaign manager in Mordaunt. She endorsed Liz Truss after Mordaunt was fired after Mordaunt was ruled out. Following Truss' resignation as prime minister on October 20, she campaigned for Mordaunt as a "unifying candidate" after Truss' departure as prime minister.

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