Dehenna Davison
MP
Official portrait, 2019
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up
In office
8 September 2022 – 18 September 2023
Prime MinisterLiz Truss
Rishi Sunak
Preceded byLia Nici
Succeeded byJacob Young
Member of Parliament
for Bishop Auckland
Assumed office
12 December 2019
Preceded byHelen Goodman
Majority7,962 (17.8%)
Personal details
Born
Dehenna Sheridan Davison

(1993-07-27) 27 July 1993
Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England
Political partyConservative
Spouse
John Fareham
​
​
(m. 2018; sep. 2019)​
Alma materUniversity of Hull
OccupationPolitician and former broadcaster
Websitedehennadavison.com

Dehenna Sheridan Davison (/diˈɛnə/;[1] born 27 July 1993) is a British Conservative Party politician and former broadcaster. She has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bishop Auckland since the 2019 general election. She served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up between September 2022 and September 2023.

Born to a stonemason and nursery nurse in Sheffield, Davison grew up on a council estate, and attended Sheffield High School on a scholarship. She studied British Politics and Legislative Studies at the University of Hull, where she was an NUS delegate, and successfully led a campaign to disaffiliate the university's student union in 2016.

Davison was elected as MP for Bishop Auckland in the 2019 general election. She was the Conservative candidate for Kingston upon Hull North and Sedgefield in the 2015 and 2017 general elections respectively. Davison is the first Conservative to represent the constituency since its creation in 1885. The seat had previously been held by Labour for 84 years. After her election, she was considered a "rising star" in the party, and an example of a Conservative representing a red wall constituency. However, in 2022 she announced that she would not stand for the next general election. She supported Liz Truss in her successful campaign to become Prime Minister in September 2022 and subsequently became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up. Davison is a classical liberal and supported Brexit.

Early life and education

Dehenna Sheridan Davison[2] was born on 27 July 1993[3][4] in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, where she grew up on a council estate.[5][6][7] Her father, Dominic, was a stonemason, and her mother was a nursery nurse.[4] Davison was educated at the independent Sheffield High School, on a scholarship.[8] When she was 13 years old, her father was attacked and killed but his assailant, who had a history of violence, was never imprisoned after being acquitted for manslaughter.[4][9][10] Three years later, she represented the family at a criminal injuries compensation tribunal. She has commented in interviews that the experience fostered her interest in politics.[11]

Davison studied British Politics and Legislative Studies at the University of Hull. During her time at the university, she spent a year working as a parliamentary aide for Jacob Rees-Mogg, the MP for North East Somerset.[12][13] Davison was also a NUS delegate and played for the university's lacrosse team.[14][15] She led a successful campaign to disaffiliate the university's student union from the NUS in 2016.[16][17] In the same year, Davison was the Conservative candidate for the Kings Park ward in the Hull City Council election, where she finished last.[18] In 2018, she again contested and finished fifth in the Kingswood ward.[19]

In her late teens and early twenties, while she was a student, Davison had a variety of jobs, including working in a video games retailer, a casino, a betting shop, and a branch of Pizza Hut.[11][20][21]

Prior to becoming an MP, Davison was a research and development analyst for LUMO, a company which advises businesses on tax credits.[22]

Parliamentary career

Davison was selected as the Conservative candidate for the Kingston upon Hull North constituency at the 2015 general election. She finished third behind the Labour Party and UK Independence Party candidates.[23] Davison supported Brexit in the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum[5] and is a classical liberal.[24] She next contested Sedgefield at the 2017 general election, where she finished second behind the Labour candidate.[20][25] In the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election, she supported Jeremy Hunt.[26]

She was elected as MP for Bishop Auckland at the 2019 general election, with a majority of 7,962 (17.8%) on a swing of 9.5% from Labour to the Conservatives.[27] Davison was the first Conservative MP for the constituency since its creation in 1885.[28] The seat had been represented by a Labour MP since 1935.[29][30] Her campaign focused on promises on Brexit, and reopening Bishop Auckland Hospital's emergency department which had been closed in 2009.[28][31] Since her election, she was considered a "rising star" in the party and a prominent Conservative representing a red wall constituency.[32][33] She made her maiden speech on 16 January 2020.[34] In that month, she voiced her support for scrapping the planned high-speed railway project HS2, and re-investing the money into local transport schemes.[35]

On 14 February 2020, it was reported that Davison had been photographed with two far-right activists at a party to celebrate Brexit on 31 January in her constituency. In response, Davison distanced herself from the views of the two men, stating, "These photos were taken at an event open to the public and I in no way whatsoever condone the views highlighted of the individuals concerned."[36][37][38]

Davison was a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee from March 2020 to November 2021.[39] She is also a member of the European Research Group,[40] on the steering committee of the China Research Group,[41] on the board of the Blue Collar Conservatives,[42] and a member of the parliamentary council of the centre-right think tank The Northern Policy Foundation.[43]

In September 2020, Davison was criticised by her own party after she mocked then Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard for having an English accent and suggested that this was the reason for Labour's decline in support in Scotland. A spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives said that: "This criticism is unacceptable. It plays into the kind of divisive politics that the SNP promote."[44][45]

She founded the All-Party Parliamentary Group for One-Punch Assaults in February 2021. Her father died from a one-punch assault when she was 13 years old.[46] When Davison took on the role as Levelling Up Minister in September 2022, she discontinued her role as chair of the APPG.[10]

She launched the Free Market Forum, a group of Conservative MPs advocating classical liberalism which is affiliated with the Institute of Economic Affairs think tank with Greg Smith in April 2021.[47][48]

Davison abstained on the vote for the Health and Social Care Levy in September 2021. The levy increased National Insurance Contributions paid by employees and employers by 1.25% between April 2022 and 2023 before becoming a separate tax from then on.[49][50] She was also one of 99 Conservative MPs to vote against the introduction of Covid passes in England in December 2021.[51][52] In early 2022, she voiced her support for the reform of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 to include self-identification,[24] and a conversion therapy ban to include transgender people.[53][54]

Davison was one of 148 MPs to vote against Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the 2022 Conservative Party vote of confidence in his leadership on 6 June.[55] Johnson survived the vote of confidence but resigned on 7 July 2022 following the Chris Pincher scandal and the subsequent government crisis.[56][57] She endorsed Liz Truss in the July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election.[58]

Truss became Prime Minister on 6 September 2022 and Davison was appointed as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities two days later. Rishi Sunak succeeded Truss as a result of the October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election and Davison retained her role.[39][59][60]

On 25 November 2022, Davison announced that she would stand down as an MP at the next general election citing the need to have a "life outside of politics" and support her family.[61] On 18 September 2023, she resigned as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up due to chronic migraine.[62][63]

GB News

Davison was a co-host of The Political Correction on GB News on Sunday mornings between June 2021 and September 2022.[64]

Personal life

Davison married Hull City councillor John Fareham, who is 35 years her senior, in 2018 (when Fareham was 59 and Davison was 24).[7][11][65][66] The couple appeared together on the Channel 4 documentary series Bride and Prejudice, which showed their wedding at the Guildhall, Kingston upon Hull.[67][68][69] They separated before the 2019 general election.[7] Davison came out as bisexual in 2021, and was the first openly bisexual female Conservative MP.[70][71] As of February 2023, she is in a relationship with diplomat Tony Kay, the head of the Arabian Peninsula department at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.[24][72][73] She lives in the village of Coundon in County Durham.[74]

As part of Mental Health Awareness Week 2019, Davison discussed her personal experience of depression and suicidal ideation while working in London as a parliamentary aide, after her grandmother had been diagnosed with, and subsequently died of, lung cancer. She has also been open about her past use of antidepressants.[75][76]

Awards

In November 2023, Davison was named to the BBC's 100 Women list.[77]

References

  1. ↑ "House of Commons: Tuesday 17 December 2019: Meeting started at 2.23pm, ended 9.37pm". Parliamentlive.tv. Event occurs at 21:21:14. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  2. ↑ Dickinson, Katie (8 June 2017). "Full list of North East candidates standing in the General Election". Evening Chronicle. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  3. ↑ Brunskill, Ian (19 March 2020). The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019: the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election. HarperCollins Publishers Limited. p. 107. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1. OCLC 1129682574.
  4. 1 2 3 Swerling, Gabriella (13 May 2017). "Video game shopworker, 23, aims for Blair's former citadel". The Times. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  5. 1 2 Payne, Sebastian (11 June 2019). "Northern Tories have designs on old Labour heartlands". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  6. ↑ Capurro, Daniel (26 October 2019). "The young female candidate at the heart of the Tories' battle to win Labour's heartland". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 November 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 Tucker, Grant; Urwin, Rosamund (15 December 2019). "Meet Boris's Babies — they're young, fun and working class". The Times. Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  8. ↑ "HSBC Bank sponsors more places at Sheffield High School". sheffieldhighschool.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  9. ↑ Wright, Oliver (29 January 2020). "Dehenna Davison: Tory MP recalls father's death in pub attack". The Times. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  10. 1 2 "MP whose father was killed by one punch opens up about trauma 15 years on". The Independent. 22 September 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 McGoogan, Cara (21 December 2019). "Meet millennial MP Dehenna Davison – the 'Boris baby' who's just survived her first week in Westminster". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  12. ↑ Kelly, Mike (13 December 2019). "Who is Dehenna Davison? The new Conservative MP for Bishop Auckland". Evening Chronicle. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  13. ↑ "Register of Interests of Members' Secretaries and Research Assistants (As at 20 February 2014)" (PDF). UK Parliament. p. 21. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 March 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  14. ↑ "HUU Goes Nationwide with NUS Conference". hulluniunion.com. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  15. ↑ Shoemark, Jack (5 March 2013). "York's Women Lacrosse side show class as Hull crash". The Hullfire. p. 22. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  16. ↑ Fredrickson, Connie (26 April 2016). "Hull students launch campaign to disaffiliate with the NUS". The Tab.
  17. ↑ Ali, Aftab (24 May 2016). "Hull University Union becomes latest to disaffiliate from National Union of Students". The Independent. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  18. ↑ "Local election results 2016". Hull City Council. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  19. ↑ "Election Ward Candidates Constituency Summary". Hull City Council. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  20. 1 2 McTague, Tom (11 May 2017). "Tories target Blair country". Politico. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  21. ↑ Castle, Stephen (16 December 2019). "Welcome to Parliament. Now Sit Down and Shut Up". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  22. ↑ Bond, Daniel (16 December 2019). "Class of 2019: Meet the new MPs". politicshome.com. Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  23. ↑ "Kingston upon Hull North". UK Polling Report. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  24. 1 2 3 Turner, Janice (14 February 2022). "Is 'TikTok MP' Dehenna Davison the future of the Tory party?". The Times.
  25. ↑ "Sedgefield constituency General Election results 2017: Full standings, MP and reaction". Evening Chronicle. 9 June 2017. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  26. ↑ Davison, Dehenna [@DehennaDavison] (4 July 2019). "Here at the Yorkshire and Humber hustings and have been selected to ask a question – keep an eye out. Guess what it's about in the comments below! Looking forward to hearing from both candidates, but will be there supporting @Jeremy_Hunt" (Tweet). Retrieved 12 July 2022 – via Twitter.
  27. ↑ "Bishop Auckland parliamentary constituency". BBC News. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  28. 1 2 "Election winners and losers, from Jo Swinson to Dominic Raab". The Times. 13 December 2019. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  29. ↑ Conner-Hill, Rachel (13 December 2019). "Bishop Auckland elects Dehenna Davison as first Conservative MP". The Northern Echo. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  30. ↑ "Johnson heads for landslide as Labour's 'red wall' crumbles". ITV News. 13 December 2019. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  31. ↑ "General election 2019: Could Bishop Auckland Hospital's A&E reopen?". BBC News. 7 December 2019. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  32. ↑ Adu, Aletha (25 November 2022). "'Red wall' MP Dehenna Davison joins list of Tories standing down at next election". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  33. ↑ Martin, Daniel (25 November 2022). "Tory rising star Dehenna Davison announces she will stand down at next election". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  34. ↑ White, Andrew (16 January 2020). "Bishop Auckland MP Dehenna Davison makes maiden Commons speech". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  35. ↑ Jeffery, Max (25 January 2020). "'Blue Wall' Tory MPs pile pressure on Boris Johnson to scrap HS2 after damning reports". politicshome.com. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  36. ↑ Parveen, Nazia (14 February 2020). "New Tory MP pictured with alleged far-right activists". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  37. ↑ Wearmouth, Rachel (14 February 2020). "Exclusive: Tory MP Pictured With Far-Right Activist Faces Calls For Investigation". HuffPost UK. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  38. ↑ Priestley, Catherine. "MP pictured with alleged far-right figures 'in no way condones' their views". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  39. 1 2 "Parliamentary career". parliament.uk. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  40. ↑ Devlin, Kate (18 December 2019). "ERG: New MPs flock to join Tory Eurosceptic group". The Times. Retrieved 24 June 2020. (subscription required)
  41. ↑ Payne, Sebastian (25 April 2020). "Senior Tories launch ERG-style group to shape policy on China". Financial Times. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  42. ↑ "Dehenna Davison MP". The Northern Policy Foundation. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  43. ↑ Black, Michael (25 June 2020). "Conservative think tank set up in bid to boost the North". The Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  44. ↑ Andrews, Kieran (6 September 2020). "Tory MP Dehenna Davison's 'accent' jibe at Labour leader Richard Leonard angers her own party". The Times. Retrieved 7 September 2020. (subscription required)
  45. ↑ Paterson, Laura; Gildea, Samantha (7 September 2020). "Backlash after Tory MP's 'ill judged' tweet about party leader's Yorkshire accent". Yorkshire Live. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  46. ↑ Bellis, Richard (25 February 2021). "Dehenna Davison launches group for one punch assault victims". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  47. ↑ Davison, Dehenna; Smith, Greg (21 April 2021). "Time for the Treasury to rediscover the free market". The Times. Retrieved 22 April 2021.(subscription required)
  48. ↑ "Greg is co-chair of major new initiative promoting free markets and a free society". Greg Smith. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  49. ↑ Engelbrecht, Gavin (9 September 2021). "Bishop Auckland MP abstains on health and social care levy vote". The Northern Echo.
  50. ↑ "Health and social care levy". Institute for Government. 6 April 2022.
  51. ↑ "MPs back Covid passes in England despite huge Tory rebellion". BBC News. 15 December 2021.
  52. ↑ "The North East MPs against Boris Johnson's Covid plans". ITV News. 14 December 2021.
  53. ↑ Conner-Hill, Rachel (17 May 2022). "Bishop Auckland and Redcar Tory MPs speak out on LGBT conversion therapy". The Northern Echo.
  54. ↑ "Conversion therapy: Ban to go ahead but not cover trans people". BBC News. 1 April 2022.
  55. ↑ Havery, Gavin (6 June 2022). "Bishop Auckland MP reveals she voted against Boris Johnson". The Northern Echo.
  56. ↑ Sparrow, Andrew; Slawson, Nicola (6 June 2022). "Boris Johnson no-confidence vote: prime minister wins by 211 to 148 but 40% of Tory MPs fail to back him – as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  57. ↑ Timsit, Annabelle; Adam, Karla; Booth, William; Suliman, Adela (7 July 2022). "Why Boris Johnson is resigning and how we got to this point". Washington Post. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  58. ↑ Hordon, Daniel (8 July 2022). "Dehenna Davison backs Liz Truss in Question Time appearance". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  59. ↑ "Ministerial Appointments: September 2022". gov.uk. 8 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  60. ↑ "Rishi Sunak calls for stability and unity as he wins contest to be PM". BBC News. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  61. ↑ "Dehenna Davison to stand down as Bishop Auckland MP at election". BBC News. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  62. ↑ "Chronic migraines have forced me to quit, says Dehenna Davison". BBC News. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  63. ↑ Adu, Aletha (18 September 2023). "Dehenna Davison resigns as minister, citing struggle with chronic migraine". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  64. ↑ "Bishop Auckland MP launches 'The Political Correction' on GB News". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  65. ↑ Mainwaring-Taylor, Flossie (16 May 2017). "Tory election runner Dehenna Davison, 23, and cabinet minister Karen Bradley MP call for backing as they lose bets at Sedgefield R". The Northern Echo. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  66. ↑ Scott, Geraldine (12 December 2020). "Dehenna Davison: 'I thought Churchill was a Labour PM and my parents never voted, so studying politics was one of the best decisions I ever made". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  67. ↑ Wollaston, Sam (5 June 2018). "Bride and Prejudice review: guaranteed to expose your inner bigot". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  68. ↑ O'Grady, Sean (6 June 2018). "Bride and Prejudice, Channel 4, TV review: Does true love really conquer all?". The Independent. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  69. ↑ "Bride & Prejudice". Channel 4. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  70. ↑ Walker, Peter (11 October 2021). "Tory MP Dehenna Davison 'overwhelmed' with support after saying she is bisexual". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  71. ↑ Cunliffe, Rachel (27 October 2021). "Dehenna Davison: 'If you go to conference you see just how gay the Conservative Party is' The 28-year-old Tory MP for Bishop Auckland discusses the Red Wall and bisexuality". New Statesman.(subscription required)
  72. ↑ Gye, Hugo; Vaughan, Richard (25 November 2022). "Tories fear mass exodus of MPs as Dehenna Davison becomes latest young star to quit". i. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  73. ↑ Dickson, Annabelle (14 February 2023). "Britain's political power couples — 2023 ranking". Politico. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  74. ↑ "About Dehenna". Bishop Auckland Conservative Association. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  75. ↑ "One Hour At A Time". Her House UK. 18 May 2019. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  76. ↑ Dehenna Davison speaks to Gloria de Piero for The Real Me. GB News. 11 October 2021. Event occurs at 06:08. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  77. ↑ "BBC 100 Women 2023: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. 23 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
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