Priti was elected as the first Member of Parliament for the Witham constituency in May 2010 and was subsequently re-elected in May 2015, June 2017 and December 2019. Priti was born in London and educated at a comprehensive girls school in Watford. She went on to study economics at Keele University before completing her postgraduate studies at the University of Essex.
Her life experiences were not forged in a bastion of privilege sheltered from the real world. Enterprise and hard work have shaped Priti’s life, values and beliefs. Priti believes strongly in the Conservative values of meritocracy, freedom and aspiration, and that the Conservative belief in freedom, free markets and lower taxes empowers people, families and businesses to flourish and be in control of their own destiny.
Priti has been actively involved the Conservative Party since the 1990s. She is a grassroots campaigner and prides herself as a longstanding Conservative Party activist and volunteer over a 30-year period. She has also supported the Party in a number of roles including as an Association Chairman, an elected member of the Conservative Party Board and a member of the 1922 Committee. Priti played in leading role in the Leave campaign and since the Referendum has worked with colleagues to bring the country together to secure a prosperous and successful future outside of the EU.
During her time as the Member of Parliament for Witham, Priti has held several positions in Government, including as the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (2014-2015) and Minister of State for Employment at the Department for Work and Pensions (2015-2016). She served as Secretary of State for International Development between July 2016 and November 2017, where she transformed the delivery of overseas assistance programmes to focus on aid effectiveness, economic development, trade and jobs so that countries can stand on their own two feet, and also pioneered new levels of accountability and openness in the use of the aid budget, with reforms and spending controls across the aid sector.
Between July 2019 and September 2022, Priti held the Cabinet position of Secretary of State to the Home Department. During her time as Home Secretary, Priti oversaw significant reform of the immigration system with the points-based system, EU Settlement Scheme, BNO Hong Kong scheme, Ukraine family and sponsorship visa schemes all introduced alongside action to tackle illegal migration. Priti’s time at the Home Office also saw delivery of record investment into the policing services, and major legislative reform through the Police, Crime, Courts and Sentencing Act.
Alongside her Ministerial positions, Priti was also appointed as the first ever Prime Minister’s UK India Diaspora Champion in 2013. In this role, she worked towards the of deepening UK-India trade, education and cultural links and promoting contact between Indians in both countries.
Priti is a strong voice for Witham, Essex and Britain and believes passionately in the principles of accountability, fairness and in standing up for her constituents.
