27 Facts About Caroline Ansell

Caroline Julie Porte Ansell was born on 12 January 1971 and is a British Conservative Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Eastbourne from 2019 to 2024.

Caroline Ansell was first elected at the 2015 general election, but was defeated at the snap 2017 general election.

Caroline Ansell was one of dozens of Conservatives defeated in the 2024 general election.

Caroline Ansell was born on 12 January 1971 in Eastbourne, the youngest of four daughters of Scottish parents.

Caroline Ansell attended university at Royal Holloway, University of London, studying a Bachelor of Arts in French.

Caroline Ansell studied business at the private university Ecole superieure de commerce and, aged 30, gained a master's degree in education from the University of Brighton in 2001.

Caroline Ansell worked for a number of years as a French teacher, in both the private and state sectors.

Caroline Ansell worked in a support role at Cavendish School in Eastbourne in the same year as one of her children was diagnosed with a brain tumour, which led her to take a sabbatical from teaching.

Caroline Ansell was first elected as a Conservative Party councillor on 31 May 2012, at the age of 41.

Caroline Ansell served as a councillor for three years, representing the Meads ward of Eastbourne Borough Council.

Caroline Ansell was part of the team to bring back Meads Magic, a community Christmas event which brings thousands of people to the area.

Caroline Ansell was elected again as a Councillor on 2 May 2019, this time representing Sovereign Ward of Eastbourne Borough Council.

Caroline Ansell exerted influence with ministers to enable substantial investment into the town.

Caroline Ansell worked with local Eastbourne actress Lauren Backler and her campaign to reduce the bowel cancer screening age from 60 to 50 in England to bring it in line with Scotland.

Backler lost her mother to the disease and Caroline Ansell organised a parliamentary debate on the issue and lobbied ministers to look into the lowering the age to 50.

Caroline Ansell was issued with a restraining order forbidding him from contacting Ansell.

In June 2017, Caroline Ansell accepted an unpaid intern from the charity Christian Action Research and Education.

In October 2020, Caroline Ansell voted against the government on an opposition day motion on funding free school meals over school holidays.

Caroline Ansell then resigned her job as a parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, because she had voted against the government, of which she was a member at the time.

In January 2022, during the Covid-related staff shortages Caroline Ansell returned to her former profession as a teacher, in response to an appeal by the Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi for ex-teachers to return to the classrooms.

Caroline Ansell asserted that it was "mission critical" to keep schools open.

Caroline Ansell put forward an amendment which aimed to reduce the upper limit for abortion from 24 to 22 weeks, securing the support of 40 other MPs.

In May 2024, Caroline Ansell was re-selected as the Conservative candidate for Eastbourne at the 2024 general election.

Caroline Ansell attends King's Church and attends the Catholic Our Lady of Ransom Church in Eastbourne.

From 2015 to 2017, Caroline Ansell employed her husband as a full-time personal assistant with public funds.

In 2016, officials at the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority said that they were "taken aback" by the fact that there were still 18 MPs, including Caroline Ansell, who employed family members in their offices.

Caroline Ansell has given various reasons for her interest and motivation in politics; she noted in her maiden speech that:.