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Alicia Kearns
Alicia Alexandra Martha Kearns[1] (born 11 November 1987)[2] is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Rutland and Stamford, previously Rutland and Melton, since 2019 and Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs since July 2024.[3] She identifies ideologically as a one-nation conservative.[4] In October 2022, Kearns was elected Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. She is the first woman to ever be elected to the role, and the youngest ever female Chair of a Select Committee. Early life and careerAlicia Kearns was born on 11 November 1987 and grew up in Cambridgeshire, where she attended a comprehensive school, Impington Village College.[5] During her teenage years, she was a member of the UK Youth Parliament and an activist for Amnesty International.[6] She studied social and political sciences at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, graduating in 2009.[5] During university, she participated in student theatre productions.[7] Kearns has worked in communication roles at the Ministry of Defence (MOD), Ministry of Justice (MoJ), and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). She was the lead press officer for the MOD's contribution to the 2014 Scottish independence referendum campaign. She led the government's communication campaigns in Syria and Iraq for the FCO.[8] At the FCO she was responsible for advising governments on strategies to defeat Daesh (ISIS), insurgent groups, and to counter Russian disinformation in Syria. She attended the UN-led peace talks on Syria and was deployed in Iraq, Kuwait and Ukraine.[9] At the MoJ, she worked as the Victims' Minister's press secretary. Kearns became the client services director for the strategic communications consultancy Global Influence in 2016.[8][10] She later became an independent consultant.[11] Her private sector duties involved designing and directing "counter violent extremism, counter disinformation, hybrid warfare and behaviour change programmes for Governments, militaries, and NGOs to build stronger and safer communities".[12] Immediately prior to her election to parliament, Kearns was directing counter-terrorism, counter disinformation and hybrid warfare interventions in Lebanon, Morocco and the Western Balkans.[9] Kearns stood for election at the 2017 general election in the safe Labour seat of Mitcham and Morden. She came second behind the incumbent Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh with 24.2% of the vote.[13][14][15] Kearns was also in the final shortlist in the same election for the safe Conservative seat of Chelmsford but lost the selection to then-MEP Vicky Ford.[16] Parliamentary career.jpg) Kearns was selected as the Conservative candidate for Rutland and Melton on 8 November 2019.[17] It is a notionally safe Conservative seat, having been represented by a member of the party since the constituency's creation in 1983.[18] She was elected at the 2019 general election with a majority of 26,924 and 62.6% of the vote.[19] Kearns is a supporter of transgender rights and in August 2020 co-authored an article in ConservativeHome with fellow MP Nicola Richards which called on the government to reform the Gender Recognition Act 2004.[20][21] Some newspapers and broadcasters alleged that Kearns was part of an attempt by Conservative MPs elected in the 2019 general election to oust then Prime Minister Boris Johnson over Partygate in January 2022.[22][23] She said that she met with concerned MPs, but denied leading a rebellion against Johnson, stating that "I make no apology for meeting with my colleagues, but it was not a coup or any such activity despite the mischief of the media or certain actors who might wish to suggest otherwise."[24]  Kearns has been a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee since March 2020.[25] She is also on the steering committee of the China Research Group.[26] On 12 October 2022, she was elected as the first female Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, replacing Tom Tugendhat.[27] As a chair of a select committee she is also a member of the Liaison Committee.[28] In July 2023, Kearns claimed in parliament that weapons were being smuggled from Serbia to Kosovo in ambulances and then being stored in Serbian Orthodox Churches.[29] NATO's peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR, said it has no evidence for the smuggling claims.[30] The British Ambassador to Kosovo, Nicholas Abbott, said the British government had no evidence to support Kearns' allegation.[31] Due to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, Kearns' constituency of Rutland and Melton was abolished, and replaced with Rutland and Stamford. At the 2024 general election, Kearns was elected to Parliament as MP for Rutland and Stamford with 43.7% of the vote and a majority of 10,394.[32] Kearns has been a staunch opponent of the 4.2 mile (6.76km) Mallard Pass Solar Farm, which straddles Lincolnshire and Rutland, and aims to provide renewable energy to 92,000 homes.[33][34] In July 2024, Kearns was one of five politicians to cover for James O'Brien's radio show on LBC, as part of the station's "Guest Week".[35] Personal lifeKearns lives in the village of Langham in Rutland with her husband. The couple have a son and a daughter.[5][36][37] References
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alicia Kearns. |
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