Jenny Willott
Biography
Jenny Willott was an Assistant Government Whip from February 2012 to November 2014. She was elected Liberal Democrat MP for Cardiff Central on 5 May 2005.
Education
Jenny was educated at Wimbledon High School and Uppingham School. She studied Classics at Durham University, before completing an MSc in Development Studies at the London School of Economics.
Career
Since becoming an MP Jenny has served as Opposition Deputy Chief Whip and Ministry of Justice spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats. In June 2008 she was made Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions before being appointed Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. After the 2010 election Jenny was Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party Committee on Work and Pensions, until she was appointed Assistant Government Whip in February 2012.
Jenny was appointed Minister for Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and Women and Equalities Minister in the Department of Culture, Media and Sport in December 2013, to cover Jo Swinson’s MP’s maternity leave.
Career outside politics
After graduating Jenny worked for a number of charities, including Oxfam and Adithi, a charity working with women and children in Bihar, Northern India. She was Head of Office for Welsh Liberal Democrat MP Lembit Opik from 1997 to 2000, before working for the children’s charity Barnardo’s in their Welsh fostering and adoption project. From 2001 to 2003 Jenny was Head of Advocacy for UNICEF UK. Immediately before being elected as an MP Jenny worked as head of Victim Support South Wales.
Personal life
Jenny is married and has 2 children.