Maria Miller MP is the MP for Basingstoke. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and Minister for Women and Equalities, from September 2012 to April 2014. Maria is Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women in Parliament.
Maria was appointed Minister for Disabled People at the Department for Work and Pensions in the Coalition Government in May 2010 and was promoted to Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and Minister for Women and Equalities, from September 2012 to April 2014. In June 2015 Maria was elected as Chair of the newly established Women and Equalities Select Committee. Maria was nominated for the position by MPs across the House in 2017 and was re-elected unopposed.
In addition to her role as an officer of the APPG on Digital Regulation and Responsibility, Maria holds offices in a number of All-Party Parliamentary Groups, and is currently Co-Chair of the APPG on Domestic Violence; Officer of the APPG on Digital Regulation and Responsibility; Co-Chair of APPG UN Women; and Chair of the APPG on Women in Parliament.
Maria is also a Director and Trustee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Patron of Heartburn Cancer UK.
Maria was first elected to represent Basingstoke in the 2005 General Election. On becoming a Member of Parliament, Maria was appointed to the Trade and Industry Select Committee. David Cameron appointed her as Shadow Minister for Education in December 2005, then Shadow Minister for Family Welfare in the Department for Work and Pensions in November 2006. Maria moved back to the Education team as Shadow Minister for the Family in July 2007 and remained in post until the 2010 General Election.
Before entering Parliament, Maria worked for 20 years in marketing, including board level experience, and appreciates some of the pressures faced by working parents.