Caroline Nokes

Caroline Fiona Ellen Nokes (née Perry; born 26 June 1972) is a British Conservative Party politician. She has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Romsey and Southampton North since the 2010 United Kingdom general election.

From 2014 to 2015, she worked as a Parliamentary Private Secretary to Mark Harper at the Department for Work and Pensions. Later, she served in Theresa May's government in several important roles. She was the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Welfare Delivery at the Department for Work and Pensions from 2016 to 2017, the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office from 2017 to 2018, and the Minister of State for Immigration at the Home Office from January 2018 to July 2019.

Early life and career

Caroline Nokes was born on 26 June 1972 in Lyndhurst and grew up in West Wellow, a village in Hampshire. Her father, Roy Perry, was a member of the European Parliament for Wight and Hampshire South. She went to school at The Romsey School, La Sagesse Convent, and Peter Symonds' College in Winchester. Later, she studied politics at the University of Sussex.

After school, Caroline worked as a policy adviser for her father. Before becoming a member of parliament, she was the chief executive of the National Pony Society, a charity that helps protect and care for pony breeds. She also served on the Test Valley Borough Council from 1999 to 2010, representing the Romsey Extra area. She stopped being a councillor when she was elected to parliament in May 2010.

Parliamentary career

Caroline Nokes tried to become a Member of Parliament in 2001 and 2005 but was not elected. She won a seat in 2010 and has been re-elected many times since then.

She has worked in different government roles, including helping with welfare and immigration issues. She has also been part of important committees that review laws and discuss topics like education and equality. In July 2024, she was elected as Second Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means, also known as Deputy Speaker.

Fathers4Justice

In April 2010, members of Fathers4Justice supported Caroline Nokes because the Conservatives had promised to change family laws if they won the 2010 general election. After the government formed, Fathers4Justice felt the new policies did not match their hopes, and they asked Nokes to leave her position in March 2013.

Nokes faced many rude messages online, and Twitter closed some accounts linked to Fathers4Justice. She mentioned that she had tried to help them with changes to a law called the Children and Families Act, but they did not work together in a helpful way.

In October 2014, there were reports that someone might have put a tracking device on Nokes’s car. Police took the situation seriously and increased security at her home. However, a court later decided there was not enough proof to support claims against the group.

Personal life

Caroline Nokes married Marc Nokes in 1995, and they had a daughter. She divorced in 2012 after reports of a relationship with another person.

In 2021, Nokes said that an older politician had acted improperly toward her at a meeting years earlier. The politician said he did not remember the event.

In June 2024, a person was punished for sending upsetting messages to several individuals, including Nokes.