Elizabeth Jarvis known as Liz Jarvis, is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Eastleigh since 2024, gaining the seat from the

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

Early life

Jarvis's mother Eileen was of Irish descent. A former secretary, she went on to become a senior social worker before gaining an

Open University The Open University (OU) is a Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate ...

degree. Jarvis's father Harry was a shipping fleet personnel officer from

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

who had served in the British Army in the Middle East. Her mother was a member of the Labour Party and her father voted Conservative. Jarvis has said that politics was discussed at every meal and she was taken on her first march by her mother as a toddler. She and her younger sister also helped their mother volunteer at women's refuges. Jarvis's father, Harry, died suddenly before Jarvis was 21, and her mother, Eileen, died aged 92 in March 2024 after a seven-year struggle with

Alzheimer's Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

. The first in her family to go to university, Jarvis graduated from the

University of Essex The University of Essex is a public university, public research university in Essex, England. Established by royal charter in 1965, it is one of the original plate glass university, plate glass universities. The university comprises three camp ...

in 1989 with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

(BA) degree in American literature.

Journalism career

Jarvis began her career in journalism on national newspapers and had a national newspaper column by the time she was 25. She went on to work on magazines, editing three, while continuing to contribute to newspapers, and also worked closely with Southampton's cruise industry. She was the editor of ''Cruise International'' magazine for eight years (2012-2020).

Political career

Jarvis joined the Liberal Democrats in 2018, having been a "lifelong Labour voter". She stood in Southampton Itchen in the 2019 general election, coming third with 5.3% of the vote when the seat was won by

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Royston Smith with a narrow majority over Labour. In

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

she was elected as an Eastleigh Borough Councillor for the Hamble and Netley ward, with a majority of over 1000. In the 2024 general election she was elected as the Liberal Democrat MP for Eastleigh, winning the seat back from the Conservatives for the first time since 2015 and overturning a notional majority of 8,641 (calculated as the likely outcome of the 2019 election on the 2024 boundaries). She had a majority of 1,546 (3.3%) over the Conservative candidate; there were six candidates and a turnout of 66%. She chose not to stand down as a Borough Councillor and told journalists she would donate her councillor allowance to charities. In September 2024, she made her maiden speech in the House of Commons during a debate on Great British Energy. On 21st October 2024 she was appointed to the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee. In November 2024, Jarvis voted for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. She stood down as a councillor in January 2025.

Personal life

Jarvis has a son who she raised as a single parent since he was aged 18 months. She lives outside the Eastleigh constituency, in Hamble Valley. From 2019 to 2023 she was a trustee of Home-Start Westminster, a charity supporting families in London.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jarvis, Liz Living people 20th-century English women 21st-century British women politicians 21st-century English women Alumni of the University of Essex Councillors in Hampshire English people of Irish descent Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Liberal Democrats (UK) councillors Liberal Democrats (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK councillors 2022–2026 UK MPs 2024–present Women councillors in England Year of birth missing (living people)