Jill Mortimer
MP
Official portrait, 2021
Member of Parliament
for Hartlepool
Assumed office
6 May 2021
Preceded byMike Hill
Majority6,940 (23.2%)
Hambleton District Councillor
for Raskelf & White Horse
In office
2 May 2019 – 15 October 2021
Preceded byCaroline Patmore
Succeeded byPhilippa James
Majority197 (20.3%)
Personal details
Born
Jillian Wendy Sowerby

(1965-03-20) 20 March 1965
Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Political partyConservative
Spouse(s)Marcus Killick (div.)
Nicholas Mortimer[1]
Children3
EducationLeeds East Academy
Alma materTeesside University

Jillian Wendy Mortimer (née Sowerby; born 20 March 1965) is a British Conservative Party politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Hartlepool since 2021.

Personal life

Mortimer was born Jillian Wendy Sowerby on 20 March 1965[2] in Leeds. Her father was a builder and her mother was a greengrocer. She attended Parklands Girls High School and later read law at Teesside University as a mature student at the age of 50, studying alongside two of her three children. One of her grandmothers grew up in Hartlepool.[3][4][5]

Before entering the House of Commons, Mortimer was a farmer in Knayton, North Yorkshire, hand-rearing Dexter cows and selling the beef and lamb from the gate of the farm and also training to become a barrister.[6] Today the farm operates as an upmarket B&B with planning permission granted for yurts and shepherd's huts to be added to the site. She announced her intention to buy a property in the Hartlepool constituency following her election, however is yet to do so.[7][8][9]

Political career

Mortimer served as a councillor for Raskelf & White Horse Ward on Hambleton District Council between May 2019 and October 2021.[10][11] She contested Leeds East at the 2019 general election.[12][13]

Member of Parliament

Mortimer was confirmed as the prospective parliamentary candidate for Hartlepool on 26 March 2021, in advance of the subsequent by-election on 6 May. The by-election was announced following the resignation of Mike Hill, the incumbent Labour MP.[7] She described her priorities for Hartlepool as being: "Recovering from the pandemic, regenerating our high streets and local communities, unlocking the opportunities of Brexit to help create good quality sustainable jobs, helping businesses deliver more apprenticeships and recruiting more police officers."[14]

During the campaign, the deputy leader of the Labour Party, Angela Rayner, accused Mortimer of tax avoidance when previously living with her first husband, Marcus Killick, and their family in the Cayman Islands. The co-chairman of the Conservative Party, Amanda Milling, tweeted that Rayner had made "an eye-popping error" in having "tried to slur" Mortimer because Killick had been working for the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority, the primary financial services regulator for the British Overseas Territory. Milling stated Mortimer and her ex-husband "did not gain any tax advantage from living in the Cayman Islands, nor did she advise any others on this".

Mortimer won the by-election with a majority of 6,940 votes and a swing from Labour of 16.0%, becoming the first Conservative and woman to represent the constituency in Parliament since its creation in 1974. John Kerans had been the last Conservative MP to represent the town and The Hartlepools between 1959 and 1964.[9][15][16]

Mortimer made her maiden speech in the House of Commons on 21 September 2021.[17][18]

In June 2022, during the 2022 vote of confidence in the Conservative Party leadership of Boris Johnson, Mortimer expressed her support for the prime minister.[19]

In September 2022, Mortimer resigned as a parliamentary private secretary after two weeks in the role to focus on her constituency.[20]

Mortimer sent a letter of no confidence in the leadership of Liz Truss on 20 October 2022.[21]

References

  1. ↑ Nelson, Alex (7 May 2021). "Jill Mortimer: who is Hartlepool's new Conservative MP, where does she live – and is she a barrister?". National World. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  2. ↑ "Jill Mortimer". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  3. ↑ "Jill Mortimer, East Leeds Conservative candidate". facebook.com. Have Your Say, Crossgates. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  4. ↑ "Today I was on Times Radio at the Conservative Conference in Manchester.…". facebook.com. Jill Mortimer - MP for Hartlepool. 3 October 2021.
  5. ↑ Anderson, Katie (29 March 2021). "'Hartlepool needs switching on': Tory candidate launches her campaign". TeessideLive. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  6. ↑ Flanagan, Emily (20 March 2013). "Farming family give cautious welcome to fuel duty freeze". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  7. 1 2 "Farmer to stand for Conservatives in Hartlepool by-election". BBC News. 27 March 2021. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  8. ↑ Anderson, Katie; Smith, Mikey (30 March 2021). "Tory Hartlepool candidate admits she doesn't spend much time in the area". The Mirror. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  9. 1 2 Bilalova, Pamela (7 May 2021). "Who is Jill Mortimer? Four things should know about Hartlepool's new MP". Hartlepool Mail. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  10. ↑ "Notice of Casual Vacancy - Raskelf & White Horse - October 2021". Hambleton District Council. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  11. ↑ "Hartlepool MP steps down as North Yorkshire councillor with immediate effect". Hartlepool Mail. 16 October 2021.
  12. ↑ "Councillor details - Councillor Jill Mortimer". Hambleton District Council. 7 May 2021. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  13. ↑ "North Yorkshire councillor chosen as Tory candidate for Hartlepool by-election". ITV News. 27 March 2021. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  14. ↑ "Conservative by-election candidate's message to Hartlepool voters". Hartlepool Mail. 28 April 2021.
  15. ↑ "Conservatives take Hartlepool seat from Labour". BBC News. 7 May 2021. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  16. ↑ "Elections 2021: Conservatives hail historic Labour defeat in Hartlepool by-election". BBC News. 7 May 2021. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  17. ↑ "What Hartlepool MP Jill Mortimer said in her maiden House of Commons speech". Hartlepool Mail. 21 September 2021.
  18. ↑ Burn, Chris (22 September 2021). "'Proud Northern lass' Jill Mortimer aims guacamole jibe at Peter Mandelson in maiden speech". The Yorkshire Post.
  19. ↑ "Boris Johnson has made mistakes, but he is still the right man for the job". Jill Mortimer MP. 27 June 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  20. ↑ Calgie, Christian [@christiancalgie] (26 September 2022). "There was a rumour Jill Mortimer has resigned as a PPS. I understand she quit last week after two weeks in the role to focus on her constituency, prior to the budget and pound" (Tweet). Retrieved 8 October 2022 – via Twitter.
  21. ↑ Gullon, Nick (20 October 2022). "North East Conservative MP submits letter of no confidence in Liz Truss". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
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