For the record...

Thank you Mr Speaker, I want to use this personal statement to put on record what an incredible job this is, and to encourage others, particularly women, who are thinking about public service that you really can make a positive difference.

Since 2010, I’ve lived through three general elections, three referendums, I’ve worked for three Prime Ministers, and even had just two tilts at the top job myself!  And during that time I’ve learned a lot:

First, there’s the value of a punchy catchphrase.  From ‘long term economic plan’, to ‘take back control’ to ‘get Brexit done’, - or as we proudly say on these benches ‘got Brexit done’ – it’s the action behind these words that has given us the highest employment there’s ever been, a big Conservative majority and a free and independent United Kingdom.

I’ve also learned the value of always knowing exactly what you’re voting for. So for example Colleagues - if your Whip tells you, as a newbie MP, to go through the ‘Aye’ lobby and vote for something called the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, JUST SAY NO! 

And this Chamber has learned a lot about Erskine May - from the precise meaning of ‘forthwith’, to the specific purpose of an SO24 and even how a Speaker should vote in the event of a tie.  

But the key lesson for me has been the importance of focusing on your beliefs and behaving with honour. When I arrived in this place bright eyed and bushy tailed, if not strictly youthful after a 25 year career in finance, my ambitions were for what I called my ‘Three Bs’ – Brussels, Banks and Babies.

’Brussels’, or ‘Brexit’ started out as an enthusiastic attempt to reform the EU from within. 

I set up The Fresh Start Project with my hon friend for Daventry and my Rt Hon friend for Camborne and Redruth, with the support of 200 colleagues. We set out the case for reform, but it soon became clear that it wasn’t on offer – and the rest is history. 

Now this time coincided with my first ever rebellion against a 3 line whip, as one of 81 Conservatives to vote for a referendum on EU membership, leading to media speculation that I had told the Chancellor George Osborne – if you’ll forgive me Mr Speaker – to ‘F Off’.  Well I can assure you that there is only one person to whom I might provide such frank advice, and that would not include any former or current Chancellor and certainly not any current Speaker! 

My second B - Banks - was a personal mission after seeing the damage done by the financial crisis and Labour’s lack of oversight. 

As a new MP elected to the Treasury Committee, I could hold the banks to account over LIBOR rigging, stop their plans to scrap cheque books, and also challenge our brand new (as described at the time) ‘Rock Star’ Bank of England Governor, over quantitative easing and the Euro crisis.

City Minister was my first job in David Cameron’s government - working to introduce new pensions freedoms, setting up the ringfence for banking groups, arranging for the Post Office to provide banking services and then recovering over a billion pounds from the Icelandic government after the bailout of IceSave.

After David Cameron’s excellent win in 2015, I was moved to Energy.  With my friend Amber Rudd as Sec of State, we re-balanced the needs of the fuel poor with speedy growth in renewables, we announced that coal would come off the grid entirely by 2025, and we kept the lights on through one of the tightest winter energy margins ever.  And that was the year of Paris COP 21.  It is a real source of pride to have joined that global effort to tackle climate change, and I wish my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Reading West huge success as COP President when the UK plays host later this year. 

Mr Speaker, the result of the EU referendum in June 2016 is right up there with England winning the Rugby World Cup, with the look on John Bercow’s face when I told him to apologise for calling me a stupid woman, and well, a bit behind the joy of my wedding day…

And not surprisingly, the leadership election that followed is also forever etched in my memory. My own part in Brexit was about doing what I thought was best for the UK, and, whatever has been said about it, my decision to withdraw from the final two was to give the country the urgent certainty that it needed. And of course, as a Mother, you will all know I’m right. 

As the new Environment Secretary in 2016, it was great to set up the huge Brexit project within the Department, to deliver for farmers and fishing communities the bright future they were promised. Developing our 25 year environment plan, banning sales of modern ivory, creating the first ever litter strategy, and introducing CCTV in slaughterhouses were just some of the highlights.

Throughout the time I spent in her Cabinet, I fully supported my Rt Hon Friend for Maidenhead in her determination that Brexit should mean Brexit. And during my two years as Leader of the Commons after the 2017 election, the challenges of a hung Parliament were evident from day one - delivering Pizza was hard enough - delivering Brexit was nigh on impossible. 

In spite of that, we amazingly achieved Royal Assent on almost 60 Bills, and passed over 600 pieces of secondary legislation to prepare for Brexit. But like the proverbial swan, whilst we may have been gliding on the surface the Business Managers were paddling furiously underneath, and I pay tribute to each of them and to my superb private office.

When the harassment and bullying scandal hit Parliament in 2017 I was proud to pull together the cross-party coalition that devised the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme – with a clear goal that everyone who works in or visits Parliament should be treated with dignity and respect, and confidentiality should underpin everything.

As Leader, I had one of the most beautiful offices in the Palace, whose only limitation was the rat living in my wastepaper basket. So when a legislative slot appeared for the Restoration and Renewal Bill, I grabbed it. Preserving this iconic Palace as the seat of our democracy for future generations will be a great achievement for all those involved. 

And a long-awaited change that I was so glad to introduce was to give all Members of this House the same rights as workers across the country; and that is to spend time with their newborn or adopted babies, which we did via a new proxy voting system.

Which brings me to the third of my three Bs - babies. As many in this House know, better support for the early years is essential to levelling up, to solving health inequalities, and to promoting lifelong emotional wellbeing. In 2011, I launched the 1001 Critical Days campaign with support from every party in this House, from many Members of the other place, and from almost every early years stakeholder.  Frank Field, the late Dame Tessa Jowell, the hon members for Washington and Sunderland, for Manchester Central and for Brighton Pavillion always worked on a cross party basis and I am grateful to them.

I set up PIP UK as a charity that would provide support across the country for families struggling with a new baby, and I pay huge tribute to my Hon Friend for East Worthing and Shoreham, who took over my early years campaigns and charity responsibilities when I joined the Government, and has done a brilliant job for so many years.

And, as Leader of the Commons, the former Prime Minister asked me to Chair an Inter-Ministerial Group on early years, looking at how government can provide better support.  My team spent a year researching existing provision, from health visiting to breast feeding advice to talking therapies to parenting groups, and Select Committees also held detailed enquiries into the impact of early years experiences on later outcomes.  There’s no doubt that a focus on this area could be life changing for millions.

Resigning as Commons Leader last summer was a tough decision, driven by my concern that the Withdrawal Agreement Bill as then proposed, with the potential for a second referendum, would not have delivered our exit from the EU. As Leader I would have had to bring the bill forward and I could not in all conscience do so.

I was sorry to see the resignation of my Rt Hon Friend for Maidenhead - the leadership of our country and party once again being challenged by the EU decision.  No one could have worked harder than my Rt Hon friend, and I feel sure history will judge her kindly.  In the new leadership election, a number of candidates – myself included, supported by my great friends the Hon. Members for Daventry and for South Derbyshire – sought to offer a way forward for the country.

After defeat in the first round of votes, I gave my wholehearted support to the Prime Minister, and I genuinely believe he is the right person to seize the opportunities that await us.  

It was an honour to serve as Business Secretary in the Prime Minister’s first Cabinet.  Brexit readiness was the urgent priority, but setting a new, clear direction for BEIS was top of my agenda. With my Ministerial team we agreed our mission - to build a stronger, greener United Kingdom. And to achieve that, our priorities were: first that the UK will lead the world in tackling global climate change; second, that we will solve the grand challenges facing our society; and third that we will quite simply make the UK the best place in the world to work and to grow a business.

There is one key observation I would highlight from my six months in BEIS. That our climate change ambitions are not just about doing the right thing, but I believe there’s also a huge early mover advantage - UK science and innovation could make the UK green tech sector as big in years to come as UK financial services is today.

I’m confident my Rt. Hon Friend will seize this opportunity. 

So Mr Speaker, the last General Election showed that when people said in 2016 that they wanted to leave the EU they really did mean it, and I applaud the Prime Minister for his single-minded focus on getting Brexit done.

For my own part, I will now focus my attention in Parliament on that third B - Babies, and I look forward to renewing my passion for giving every baby the best start in life.  When the Prime Minister asked me to step aside, he also gave me his word that he will enable me to take forward the early years work, and I am really glad the wheels are in motion. I heartily congratulate him and Carrie for their decision to do their own bit of early years research in the near future.

Mr Speaker, I will, of course, continue to work hard for my fabulous South Northamptonshire constituency, and I do look forward to spending some more quality time with my family.

It’s been an incredible ten years and it ain’t over yet.  There is no greater honour than to serve community and country and I will continue to do so with pride.