27 Facts About Maria Miller

Dame Maria Frances Miller is a British politician who was the Member of Parliament for Basingstoke from 2005 until the 2024 general election.

In opposition Miller served as the Shadow Minister for Education from 2005 to 2006, Shadow Minister for Family Welfare from 2006 to 2007 and Shadow Minister for Families from 2007 to 2010.

Maria Miller served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State from 2010 to 2012 and later served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and Minister for Women and Equalities from 2012 to 2014.

Maria Miller resigned from the Cabinet in April 2014 after reports she had over-claimed expenses.

In June 2015 Maria Miller was elected as Chair of the newly established Women and Equalities Select Committee.

Maria Miller was nominated for the position by MPs across the House in 2017 and was reelected unopposed.

In 2019, Maria Miller announced she would step down from the role.

In January 2025, Maria Miller was appointed the first independent chair of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

Maria Miller was educated at the Brynteg School before reading Economics at the London School of Economics from where she graduated in 1985.

Maria Miller joined Grey Advertising Ltd as an advertising executive, leaving in 1990 to become a marketing manager with Texaco.

Maria Miller rejoined Greys in 1994 and served for five years as a director, before becoming a director for the Rowland Group in 1999 for four years.

Maria Miller joined the Conservative Party in 1983 and contested Wolverhampton North East at the 2001 general election but was defeated by the sitting Labour MP, Ken Purchase.

Maria Miller retained formal links with the local Conservative Association for some time thereafter; she chaired the Wimbledon Association for a year from 2002.

Maria Miller was first elected to the House of Commons at the 2005 general election, for the Basingstoke constituency, following the retirement of its former MP, the Conservative Andrew Hunter, who had defected to the Northern Ireland Democratic Unionist Party before he stepped down.

Maria Miller was appointed Shadow Minister for Families in 2007.

On 4 September 2012, Maria Miller was appointed Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and Minister for Women and Equality in David Cameron's first major Cabinet reshuffle.

Maria Miller chaired the Women and Equalities Select Committee from when it was established in June 2015 to January 2020.

Maria Miller stepped down from the role in 2019 and Caroline Nokes was nominated and elected as the new chair.

Maria Miller was opposed to Brexit prior to the 2016 referendum.

Maria Miller was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2022 Birthday Honours for parliamentary and public service.

On 10 December 2013, Maria Miller announced that same-sex marriage ceremonies would begin on 29 March 2014 in England and Wales.

Maria Miller ran a six month campaign in 2014 for a change in the law when she was contacted by one of her Basingstoke constituents who had been affected by 'revenge porn' being posted online.

Maria Miller campaigned to change the law and make posting online revenge pornography a crime.

Maria Miller was reported to Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards John Lyon by MP John Mann, and an inquiry was launched into the claims.

Maria Miller explained that her parents lived with her as "dependents" under Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority rules.

An article published in The Guardian in 2017 mentioned Maria Miller as saying that harassment happens frequently in industries and companies dominated by men.

Maria Miller encouraged teachers to become more stringent on harassment that takes place in schools instead of treating such behaviour as something marginal.