Harriett Baldwin

Harriett Baldwin
Born	Harriett Mary Morison Eggleston (1960-05-02) May 2, 1960 Watford, England
Occupation(s)	Politician, former investment banker
Years active	1986–present
Known for	Member of Parliament for West Worcestershire since 2010; Chair of the Treasury Select Committee since 2022

Dame Harriett Mary Morison Baldwin (; born 2 May 1960) is a British politician affiliated with the Conservative Party, representing West Worcestershire as its MP since 2010. She held the position of Minister of State for Africa and International Development from January 2018 until July 2019 and was the Shadow Minister for Development between July and November 2024. In 2022, Baldwin was chosen as Chair of the Treasury Select Committee and currently serves as the Shadow Business Minister.

Prior to entering Parliament, Baldwin built her career at investment bank JPMorgan Chase.

Early life and career

Born Harriett Eggleston on 2 May 1960 in Watford, she is the daughter of Anthony Francis Eggleston, who was a headmaster at Felsted School and previously at Campion School (Athens), and Jane Morison Buxton. Her upbringing took place partly in Cyprus and partly in Felsted, where she attended several private educational institutions, including the Friends' School, Saffron Walden and Marlborough College, located in Wiltshire.

Baldwin pursued higher education at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford from 1978 to 1982, graduating with an MA degree in Modern Languages, specializing in French and Russian. She further enhanced her qualifications by earning an MBA focused on International Finance from McGill University in 1985.

Her professional journey began at investment bank JPMorgan Chase in 1986, where she advanced to managing director and led currency management operations in London by 1998. Subsequently, she oversaw pension fund management before departing the firm in 2008. Between 2008 and 2012, Baldwin held the role of vice-chair at the Social Investment Business.

Parliamentary career

In the 2005 general election, Baldwin contested the Stockton North seat as a Conservative candidate, finishing second with 20.8% of votes behind Labour's Frank Cook.

She won election as MP for West Worcestershire in 2010 with a vote share of 50.4% and a majority margin of 6,754. During the coalition government led by Cameron and Clegg, she contributed to the Work and Pensions Select Committee before being appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of State for Employment in 2012. Additionally, she participated as a member of the UK delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

Her appointment as Assistant Whip came in February 2014, followed by a promotion to Government Whip (Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury) in July that same year. At the 2015 general election, Baldwin increased her support to 56.1% with a majority of 22,578 votes and was named Economic Secretary to the Treasury as well as City Minister. She also acted as Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Russia.

During the 2016 EU referendum, Baldwin advocated for remaining within the European Union. In July 2016, under Prime Minister Theresa May’s administration, she was assigned as Parliamentary Under-Secretary and Minister for Defence Procurement at the Ministry of Defence.

Re-elected in 2017 with a vote share rising to 61.5%, Baldwin served from January 2018 until July 2019 as Minister of State for Africa and International Development. She supported Theresa May’s Brexit withdrawal agreement and endorsed Jeremy Hunt during the Conservative leadership contest in 2019.

At the general election held in 2019, Baldwin secured a vote share of 60.7%, increasing her majority to 24,499. Since March 2020, she has been part of the Treasury Select Committee and was elected its chairperson in 2022. In this capacity, she opposed proposals by the Sunak government to abolish the Office of Tax Simplification, stressing its critical role in shaping tax policy.

As a member of the steering committee for the COVID Recovery Group—known for its scepticism toward lockdown measures—Baldwin opposed the UK Government’s December 2020 lockdown restrictions. She supported Penny Mordaunt during the Conservative leadership race held in October 2022.

Beginning in 2024, Baldwin has championed the Hereditary Titles (Female Succession) Bill, a private member’s bill designed to permit female heirs to inherit hereditary titles.

In the general election of 2024, Baldwin retained her seat with a decreased vote share of 36.2% and a reduced majority of 6,547 votes.

Personal life

Baldwin has been married to James Stanley Baldwin since 2004. She has a son from her earlier marriage to Charles Richmond, along with two stepdaughters.

In March 2024, Baldwin was honored with the title of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in recognition of her contributions to public and parliamentary service.

External links

• They walked the walk in finance, now they’re running for Parliament, Laura Dixon, Peter Stiff and Toby Miller, The Times, 12 January 2010