Caroline Elizabeth Johnson[1] (née Burton; born 31 December 1977) is a British Conservative Party politician and consultant paediatrician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sleaford and North Hykeham since 2016.[2] She served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Mental Health and Public Health from September to October 2022. She has been Shadow Minister for Health and Social Care since July 2024.[3]
Caroline Johnson | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Shadow Minister for Health and Social Care | |
| Assumed office 19 July 2024 | |
| Leader | Rishi Sunak Kemi Badenoch |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Mental Health and Public Health | |
| In office 8 September 2022 – 27 October 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Liz Truss Rishi Sunak |
| Preceded by | Gillian Keegan[a] |
| Succeeded by | Maria Caulfield[b] |
| Member of Parliament for Sleaford and North Hykeham | |
| Assumed office 8 December 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Stephen Phillips |
| Majority | 4,346 (8.9%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Caroline Elizabeth Burton 31 December 1977 Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse |
Nik Johnson (m. 2001) |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence(s) | Sudbrook, Lincolnshire, England |
| Alma mater | Newcastle University |
Early life and career
editCaroline Burton was born on 31 December 1977 in Middlesbrough.[4] She attended Gordonstoun, a private school in Moray.[5] She graduated from Newcastle University Medical School in 2001.[6]
Johnson became a senior house officer in 2002, a paediatrics specialist registrar in 2005;[4] and a consultant in 2012.[6]
Parliamentary career
editJohnson stood as the Conservative candidate in Scunthorpe at the 2010 general election, coming second with 32.6% of the vote behind the Labour candidate Nic Dakin.[7][8]
In the June 2016 European Union membership referendum, Johnson voted for Brexit.[9]
Johnson was selected in November 2016 as the Conservative candidate for the 2016 Sleaford and North Hykeham by-election.[10] She was elected to Parliament as MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham with 53.5% of the vote and a majority of 13,144.[11]
At the snap 2017 general election, Johnson was re-elected as MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham with an increased vote share of 64.2% and a majority of 25,237.[12] Following the election, she was chosen to be part of the Health and Social Care Select Committee and the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee. She served on the Health and Social Care Select Committee until February 2018 and Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee until November 2019.[13]
Johnson voted for then Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit withdrawal agreement and against any referendum on a withdrawal agreement in March 2019.[14]
She supported Boris Johnson in the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election.[15] Following his election as prime minister, she voted for his Brexit withdrawal agreement in October 2019.[16]
At the 2019 general election, Johnson was again re-elected with an increased vote share of 67.1% and an increased majority of 32,565.[17][18][19]
She was a member of the Education Select Committee between March 2020 and October 2022. Johnson rejoined the Health and Social Care Select Committee in November 2022.[13]
During the July 2022 United Kingdom government crisis, Johnson resigned as the Vice Chair of the Conservative Party on 7 July, after over 50 previous resignations of MPs and ministers, criticising then Prime Minister Boris Johnson's "errors of judgement" and calling for his resignation.[20] After the election of Liz Truss as prime minister in September 2022, she was appointed as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department of Health and Social Care.[21] Following Truss' resignation, she supported Johnson's bid to return as PM in the October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election.[22]
From September 2022, Johnson became chair of the All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPG) for Children who need Palliative Care.[23]
In March 2023, Johnson was re-selected as the Conservative candidate for Sleaford and North Hykeham at the 2024 general election.[24]
In July 2023, Johnson opened a debate on planning to voice her opposition to new large solar farms as she felt that it would "dramatically alter the landscape for the worse" and reduce the availability of arable land.[25]
At the 2024 general election, Johnson was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 35.7% and a decreased majority of 4,346.[26]
Personal life
editCaroline married Nik Johnson in 2001 and they have three children.[4] He owns a fertiliser business.[27][28] They live in Sudbrook, Lincolnshire.[10]
In addition to her parliamentary duties, she continues to work part-time as a consultant paediatrician in Peterborough City Hospital and earns a salary of £21,199.20 for 336 hours annually as of February 2023.[29][30][31]
In 2024 she took part in the London marathon, eventually finishing with a time of 7:47:32, the slowest finish of any MP.[32]
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ "No. 61961". The London Gazette. 19 June 2017. p. 11783.
- ^ "Conservatives win Sleaford by-election". BBC News. 8 December 2016. Archived from the original on 9 December 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ "Conservative Party announces interim Opposition Front Bench". policymogul.com. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ a b c "Johnson, Caroline Elizabeth", Who's Who (online edition, Oxford University Press, December 2017). Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- ^ "The View from HQ" (PDF). Gordonstoun. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Caroline Elizabeth Johnson". General Medical Council. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
- ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "UK > England > Yorkshire and the Humber > Scunthorpe". Election 2010. BBC. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
- ^ "Grantham A&E is major issue as doctor and nurse contest Sleaford by-election". Grantham Journal. 18 November 2016. Archived from the original on 11 August 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ a b Pidluznyj, Stefan (11 November 2016). "Conservatives choose Caroline Johnson as candidate for Sleaford and North Hykeham by-election". Lincolnshire Reporter. Archived from the original on 11 August 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ Mason, Rowena; Weaver, Matthew (9 December 2016). "Sleaford byelection: Caroline Johnson holds seat for Conservatives". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017.
- ^ "Sleaford & North Hykeham". BBC News. Archived from the original on 20 May 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Parliamentary career for Dr Caroline Johnson". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- ^ "How MPs voted on May's withdrawal deal defeat". Financial Times. 29 March 2019. Archived from the original on 2 September 2019.
- ^ Hubbert, Andy (10 June 2019). "Update: Sleaford MP Caroline Johnson explains her backing of Boris to replace Theresa May as Tory party leader". Sleaford Standard. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ "How your MP voted for Boris Johnson's Brexit deal". The Independent. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ "Sleaford & North Hykeham". Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ The Times Guide to the House of Commons 2019. Glasgow: Times Books. 2020. p. 331. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1.
- ^ "Sleaford & North Hykeham parliamentary constituency". BBC News. 2019. Archived from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ Armitage, Rachel (7 July 2022). "Sleaford and North Hykeham MP Caroline Johnson latest MP to resign – as Boris Johnson also set to resign". Lincolnshire World. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- ^ "Ministerial Appointments: September 2022". gov.uk. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- ^ Churcher, Dan (21 October 2022). "Conservative MP Caroline Johnson backs Boris Johnson for Prime Minister just three months after demanding he go in best interests of country". Newark Advertiser. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
- ^ "Children who Need Palliative Care". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- ^ Caroline Johnson [@drcarolinej] (31 March 2023). "Honoured and delighted to be unanimously reselected as the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Sleaford and North Hykeham" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Sleaford MP demands action to halt spread of solar farms". BBC News. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- ^ "STATEMENT OF PERSONS NOMINATED AND NOTICE OF POLL" (PDF). North Kesteven Council. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ Sabur, Rozina (8 December 2016). "Who is Dr Caroline Johnson – the Conservative candidate for Sleaford and North Hykeham?". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ "Driver's view: JSE-Systems' high-speed spreading outfit". Farmers Weekly. 29 January 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- ^ "Peterborough City Hospital". NHS Choices. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ Davies, Elaine (9 June 2017). "Caroline Johnson focuses on Brexit as she is re-elected in Sleaford and North Hykeham". Lincolnshire Live. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017.
- ^ "The Register of Members' Financial Interests As at 6 February 2023". UK Parliament. 6 February 2023.
- ^ Frank-Keyes, Jessica (21 April 2024). "Here's how all the MPs running the London marathon did". CityAM. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
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