Amber Rudd
Amber Augusta Rudd (born 1 August 1963) is a British former politician who served as Home Secretary from 2016 to 2018 and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2018 to 2019. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Hastings and Rye, first elected in 2010, representing the Conservative Party, and stood down from parliament in 2019. She identifies herself as a one-nation conservative, and has been associated with both socially liberal and economically liberal policies.
Amber Rudd | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2017 | |
| Secretary of State for Work and Pensions | |
| In office 16 November 2018 – 7 September 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Esther McVey |
| Succeeded by | Thérèse Coffey |
| Home Secretary | |
| In office 13 July 2016 – 29 April 2018 | |
| Prime Minister | Theresa May |
| Preceded by | Theresa May |
| Succeeded by | Sajid Javid |
| Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change | |
| In office 11 May 2015 – 13 July 2016 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Ed Davey |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Minister for Women and Equalities | |
| In office 24 July 2019 – 7 September 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | Penny Mordaunt |
| Succeeded by | Liz Truss |
| In office 9 January 2018 – 30 April 2018 | |
| Prime Minister | Theresa May |
| Preceded by | Justine Greening |
| Succeeded by | Penny Mordaunt |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Climate Change | |
| In office 15 July 2014 – 11 May 2015 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Greg Barker |
| Succeeded by | Nick Hurd |
| Member of Parliament for Hastings and Rye | |
| In office 6 May 2010 – 6 November 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Michael Foster |
| Succeeded by | Sally-Ann Hart |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Amber Augusta Rudd 1 August 1963 Marylebone, London, England |
| Political party |
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| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parents |
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| Relatives | Roland Rudd (brother) |
| Education | |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh (MA) |
| Signature | |
| Website | amberrudd |
Rudd was born in Marylebone and studied history at the University of Edinburgh School of History, Classics and Archaeology. Rudd worked as an investment banker before being elected to the House of Commons for Hastings and Rye in East Sussex in 2010, defeating incumbent Labour MP Michael Foster. Rudd served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change from 2015 to 2016 in the Cameron Government, where she worked on renewable energy resources and climate change mitigation. She previously served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Energy and Climate Change from 2014 to 2015.
She was appointed Home Secretary in the May government on 13 July 2016, and given the additional role of Minister for Women and Equalities in January 2018. Rudd was the third female Home Secretary, the fifth woman to hold one of the Great Offices of State and the fastest-rising politician to a Great Office of State since the Second World War (before Rishi Sunak was made the chancellor of the Exchequer in 2020). She resigned as Home Secretary in April 2018 in connection with the Windrush deportation scandal.
On 16 November 2018, Rudd was appointed Work and Pensions Secretary by Prime Minister Theresa May, succeeding Esther McVey. She was re-appointed by Boris Johnson on 24 July 2019 and succeeded Penny Mordaunt in her previous portfolio as Minister for Women and Equalities. On 7 September, Rudd resigned from his cabinet and resigned the Conservative whip in Parliament, to protest against Johnson's policy on Brexit and his decision to expel 21 Tory MPs. She announced on 30 October that she would be standing down as an MP at the next general election.