CYW In Conversation with Esther McVey MP & Philip Davies MP

Speaker Biographies

Esther McVey

Esther McVey is a businesswoman, broadcaster, was was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Tatton in 2017.

Originally from Liverpool, Esther trained as a lawyer before working as a producer and broadcaster for the BBC, after which she established her own business and was nominated for Woman of the Year both in Cheshire and Merseyside.

In 2010 she became the first and only Conservative MP on Merseyside since 1997, and from 2012 to 2015 she joined the Government, becoming Minister for Employment and was made a Privy Counsellor. In 2017 she was elected as the MP for Tatton, before being promoted to the Deputy Chief whip role in October that year. In January 2018 she became the Secretary of State for the Department for Work and Pensions before resigning in November 2018 when she was unable to support the draft Withdrawal Agreement of the UK from the European Union.

Following the election of Boris Johnson as the new Leader of the Conservative Party, in July 2019 Esther rejoined the Government as the Minister of Housing within the Ministry of Housing, Local Government and Communities. She left that role in February 2020 and is now a backbench MP.

A champion of social mobility, through her charity, ‘If Chloe Can’ Esther provides career support, inspiration and ambition for school pupils. She has written several careers books for girls and boys which have been turned into plays by the National Youth Theatre and have been performed around the country as well as in London’s West End.

Esther is a founder member of Blue Collar Conservatism and regularly campaigns on issues, both locally and nationally.

Philip Davies 

Born in Doncaster in 1972, I graduated from the University of Huddersfield with an Upper Second honours degree in Historical and Political Studies. Before being elected to parliament, I had a career as a Senior Marketing Manager for ASDA in Leeds. I also served as both a parish councillor and a school governor because I have always believed in the importance of community involvement.

I have always been involved in politics, joining the Conservative Party in 1988, and in 1997, making a speech on foreign affairs at the Conservative Party Conference. However, I increasingly found that politicians were not making the arguments I wanted to hear. Since it is my firm belief that change requires action, I decided to run for parliament and was first elected in 2005. After being first elected, it has been an honour to be re-elected in 2010, 2015, 2017 and 2019.

In my spare time, I enjoy horseracing and full English breakfasts.