Alicia Alexandra Martha Kearns[1] (born 11 November 1987)[2] is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Rutland and Stamford, previously Rutland and Melton, since 2019 and Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs since July 2024.[3] She identifies ideologically as a one-nation conservative.[4]
Alicia Kearns | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Shadow Minister for Home Affairs | |
| Assumed office November 2024 | |
| Leader | Kemi Badenoch |
| Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 19 July 2024 – 2 November 2024 | |
| Leader | Rishi Sunak |
| Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee | |
| In office 12 October 2022 – 30 May 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Tom Tugendhat |
| Succeeded by | Emily Thornberry |
| Member of Parliament for Rutland and Stamford Rutland and Melton (2019–2024) | |
| Assumed office 12 December 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Alan Duncan |
| Majority | 10,394 (21.4%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alicia Alexandra Martha Kearns 11 November 1987 England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge (BA) |
| Website | Official website |
In October 2022, Kearns was elected Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. She is the first woman to ever be elected to the role, and the youngest ever female Chair of a Select Committee.
Early life and career
editAlicia Kearns was born on 11 November 1987 and grew up in Cambridgeshire, where she attended a comprehensive school, Impington Village College.[5] During her teenage years, she was a member of the UK Youth Parliament and an activist for Amnesty International.[6] She studied social and political sciences at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, graduating in 2009.[5] During university, she participated in student theatre productions.[7]
Kearns has worked in communication roles at the Ministry of Defence (MOD), Ministry of Justice (MoJ), and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). She was the lead press officer for the MOD's contribution to the 2014 Scottish independence referendum campaign. She led the government's communication campaigns in Syria and Iraq for the FCO.[8] At the FCO she was responsible for advising governments on strategies to defeat Daesh (ISIS), insurgent groups, and to counter Russian disinformation in Syria. She attended the UN-led peace talks on Syria and was deployed in Iraq, Kuwait and Ukraine.[9] At the MoJ, she worked as the Victims' Minister's press secretary.
Kearns became the client services director for the strategic communications consultancy Global Influence in 2016.[8][10] She later became an independent consultant.[11] Her private sector duties involved designing and directing "counter violent extremism, counter disinformation, hybrid warfare and behaviour change programmes for Governments, militaries, and NGOs to build stronger and safer communities".[12]
Immediately prior to her election to parliament, Kearns was directing counter-terrorism, counter disinformation and hybrid warfare interventions in Lebanon, Morocco and the Western Balkans.[9]
Kearns stood for election at the 2017 general election in the safe Labour seat of Mitcham and Morden. She came second behind the incumbent Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh with 24.2% of the vote.[13][14][15]
Kearns was also in the final shortlist in the same election for the safe Conservative seat of Chelmsford but lost the selection to then-MEP Vicky Ford.[16]
Parliamentary career
edit
Kearns was selected as the Conservative candidate for Rutland and Melton on 8 November 2019.[17] It is a notionally safe Conservative seat, having been represented by a member of the party since the constituency's creation in 1983.[18] She was elected at the 2019 general election with a majority of 26,924 and 62.6% of the vote.[19]
Kearns is a supporter of transgender rights and in August 2020 co-authored an article in ConservativeHome with fellow MP Nicola Richards which called on the government to reform the Gender Recognition Act 2004.[20][21]
Some newspapers and broadcasters alleged that Kearns was part of an attempt by Conservative MPs elected in the 2019 general election to oust then Prime Minister Boris Johnson over Partygate in January 2022.[22][23] She said that she met with concerned MPs, but denied leading a rebellion against Johnson, stating that "I make no apology for meeting with my colleagues, but it was not a coup or any such activity despite the mischief of the media or certain actors who might wish to suggest otherwise."[24]
Kearns has been a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee since March 2020.[25] She is also on the steering committee of the China Research Group.[26] On 12 October 2022, she was elected as the first female Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, replacing Tom Tugendhat.[27] As a chair of a select committee she is also a member of the Liaison Committee.[28]
In July 2023, Kearns claimed in parliament that weapons were being smuggled from Serbia to Kosovo in ambulances and then being stored in Serbian Orthodox Churches.[29] NATO's peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR, said it has no evidence for the smuggling claims.[30] The British Ambassador to Kosovo, Nicholas Abbott, said the British government had no evidence to support Kearns' allegation.[31]
Due to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, Kearns' constituency of Rutland and Melton was abolished, and replaced with Rutland and Stamford. At the 2024 general election, Kearns was elected to Parliament as MP for Rutland and Stamford with 43.7% of the vote and a majority of 10,394.[32]
Kearns has been a staunch opponent of the 4.2 mile (6.76km) Mallard Pass Solar Farm, which straddles Lincolnshire and Rutland, and aims to provide renewable energy to 92,000 homes.[33][34]
In July 2024, Kearns was one of five politicians to cover for James O'Brien's radio show on LBC, as part of the station's "Guest Week".[35]
Personal life
editKearns lives in the village of Langham in Rutland with her husband. The couple have a son and a daughter.[5][36][37]
References
edit- ^ "Members Sworn". parliament.uk. 18 December 2019. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- ^ 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. 318. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1. OCLC 1129682574.
- ^ "Conservative Party announces interim Opposition Front Bench". policymogul.com. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ Kearns, Alicia. ""Happily cracking on being a One Nation Conservative, and I agree on foreign policy, I do know my stuff"". X. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ a b c "Tories and Labour chose contenders to be next Melton MP". Melton Times. 9 November 2019. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- ^ "Here's looking at you, kids". The Guardian. 27 November 2004. Archived from the original on 26 February 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- ^ "Alicia Kearns". Camdram. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
- ^ a b "FCO's Alicia Kearns joins Global Influence". Gorkana. 24 August 2016. Archived from the original on 3 December 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- ^ a b Coupe, Kerry (8 November 2019). "Counter terrorism expert selected as Conservative Party's candidate for Rutland and Melton in a bid to succeed Sir Alan Duncan". Stamford Mercury. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "Alicia Kearns". DefenceIQ. 2 March 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
- ^ Bjola, Corneliu; Pamment, James (7 December 2018). Countering Online Propaganda and Extremism: The Dark Side of Digital Diplomacy. Taylor & Francis. p. 19. ISBN 978-1-351-26406-8.
- ^ Ramsay, Adam; Molloy, Caroline; Cave, Tamasin (21 December 2019). "Revealed: A fifth of new Tory MPs have worked as lobbyists". openDemocracy. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "Merton Council Statement of Persons Nominated Mitcham and Morden General Election 2017" (PDF). Merton Council. Retrieved 13 April 2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Mitcham & Morden parliamentary constituency". BBC News.
- ^ "General Election 2017: results and analysis" (PDF). researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Lee Scott back for Ilford North. Vicky Ford in final Chelmsford three. Tatton finalists named. The latest candidate selections and shortlists". Conservative Home. 24 April 2017.
- ^ "Counter terrorism expert Alicia Kearns selected as Conservative Party's prospective parliamentary candidate for Rutland and Melton in a bid to succeed Sir Alan Duncan – Andy Thomas selected for Labour". Rutland and Stamford Mercury. 8 November 2019. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- ^ "Rutland and Melton". UK Polling Report. Archived from the original on 30 June 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
- ^ "Rutland and Melton". BBC News. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
- ^ Richards, Nicola; Kearns, Alicia (27 August 2020). "Conservatives believe in freedom and choice. That's why we should reform the Gender Recognition Act". Conservative Home. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
- ^ Maguire, Patrick (28 August 2020). "New Tory MPs demand reform to Gender Recognition Act". The Times.(subscription required)
- ^ Kuenssberg, Laura (18 January 2022). "Downing Street party: Is 'pork pie plot' a serious threat to the PM?". BBC News.
- ^ "How Melton Mowbray entered the spotlight in 'pork pie plot' amid calls for Boris Johnson to resign". ITV News. 19 January 2022.
- ^ Rennie, Nick (26 January 2022). "Melton MP breaks her silence over so-called 'Pork Pie Plot' against Boris Johnson". Melton Times. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ "Foreign Affairs Committee Committee membership agreed". parliament.uk. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ^ Payne, Sebastian (25 April 2020). "Senior Tories launch ERG-style group to shape policy on China". Financial Times. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- ^ "Alicia Kearns elected as chair of Foreign Affairs Committee". BBC News. 12 October 2022.
- ^ "Parliamentary career for Alicia Kearns". UK Parliament. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- ^ Santolo, Alessandra Scotto di (10 July 2023). "Tory MP targeted by Serbia over smuggling claims as tensions with Kosovo rise". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "KFOR Denies Weapons are Smuggled in Ambulances Into North Kosovo". Balkan Insight. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "A lot of what I've seen in the north reminds me of Northern Ireland, that's why the dialogue is important". KoSSev. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "General election results for Rutland and Stamford | Rutland County Council". www.rutland.gov.uk. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ "Mallard Pass: Plans for UK's biggest solar farm face review". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ Payne, Evie (5 March 2024). "Local MP submits Parliamentary Petition against Rutland solar farm signed by over 3,000". Oakham Nub News.
- ^ "Five guest presenters to cover for James O'Brien on LBC". Radio Today. 22 July 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ Rennie, Nick. "'My silent victories will define me' – Melton MP makes maiden parlimentary speech". Melton Times. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- ^ Howie, Michael (29 December 2021). "Tory MP Alicia Kearns says babies have 'no place' in the Commons chamber". Evening Standard. London. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
External links
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