Sarah Elizabeth Atherton (born 15 November 1967) is a former British Conservative Party politician, who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...

between

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

and 2024. She served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families from September to October 2022. She was the first Conservative to represent the Wrexham constituency since its creation in 1918. In addition, Atherton was the first female MP elected to represent the seat, and became the first female Conservative MP elected to Westminster representing a Welsh constituency.

Early life and career

Atherton was born in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

in 1967, the daughter of John Atherton from Chester and Evelyn Atherton (''née'' Morgan / Stringer) from

Caernarfon Caernarfon (; ) is a List of place names with royal patronage in the United Kingdom, royal town, Community (Wales), community and port in Gwynedd, Wales. It has a population of 9,852 (with Caeathro). It lies along the A487 road, on the easter ...

. She left Christleton High School in Chester, a local comprehensive school, at the age of 16. Atherton joined the army, serving in the Intelligence Corps, before training at

Bangor University Bangor University () is a Public university, public Research university, research university in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales. It was established by Royal charter, Royal Charter in 1885 as the University College of North Wales (UCNW; ), and in 1893 ...

and becoming a Registered General Nurse. She also studied at

Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester Metropolitan University is located in the centre of Manchester, England. The university has 40,000 students and over 4,000 members of staff. It is home to four faculties (Arts and Humanities, Business and Law, Health and Education ...

, receiving a BSc (Hons) in Community Health (Specialist District Nurse), and at the

University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...

, where she obtained a Masters in Social Work. Atherton has worked as a nurse, district nurse and social worker. In addition, she was briefly a partner in a micro brewery business based on Wrexham Industrial Estate. Prior to being elected as the Member of Parliament for Wrexham, she served on Gresford Community Council. She is a member of the

Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants. Membership Service in th ...

Parliamentary career

Sarah Atherton was elected as the Member of Parliament for

in December 2019. She became the first Conservative to represent the constituency since its inception in 1918, turning a Labour majority of 1,832 into a Conservative majority of 2,131. Atherton is the first woman to represent Wrexham but also the first female Conservative MP elected to Westminster from a Welsh constituency. Additionally, she holds the distinction of being the first female MP with a regular military background. Atherton was a member of the

Defence Select Committee The Defence Select Committee is one of the Select Committees of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, having been established in 1979. It examines the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Ministry of Defence and its associated pu ...

, backing a report into the experiences of women in the armed forces. She was also a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Veterans, serving as Vice-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Veterans, as well as contributing to also contributes to other defence-focused APPGs, such as for the

Armed Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...

and the

Armed Forces Covenant The Military Covenant or Armed Forces Covenant is a term introduced in 2000 into British public life to refer to the mutual obligations between the United Kingdom and the British Armed Forces. According to ''The Guardian'', "it is an informal unde ...

. Atherton also served as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families) at the Ministry of Defence from 20 September 2022 to 27 October 2022. Upon her election, contributed to Wrexham being awarded city status during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, and pushed for Wrexham to be shortlisted for the UK's City of Culture 2025. She also served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Wales, Simon Hart, in February 2020, encouraging discussion on handling cases of sexual abuse within the armed forces in civilian courts. Atherton was criticised on social media for promoting the re-opening of a

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

outlet in

on her Twitter account, citing childhood obesity and small independent businesses which require help, defending her support with the claim that it was locally franchised and actively involved in community engagement programmes. In August 2020, Atherton suggested on Twitter that the army could be a solution to prevent migrants crossing the English Channel. This proposal received critical feedback from

immigration law Immigration law includes the national statutes, Primary and secondary legislation, regulations, and Precedent, legal precedents governing immigration into and deportation from a country. Strictly speaking, it is distinct from other matters such as ...

specialists.

Voting record

In January 2020, Atherton voted, with the majority of MPs, against an Opposition amendment, "Proportional Representation to Elect MPs in the House of Commons", on the subject of

electoral reform Electoral reform is a change in electoral systems that alters how public desires, usually expressed by cast votes, produce election results. Description Reforms can include changes to: * Voting systems, such as adoption of proportional represen ...

and PR. In February 2020, Atherton voted with the majority of MPs against an Opposition motion on "proper funding of public services along with robust action against tax avoidance and evasion". In the same month she voted with the majority of MPs against an Opposition motion on "a plan to eliminate a substantial majority of transport emissions by 2030". In July 2020, Atherton voted with the majority of MPs against a

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice. Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...

amendment to the Trade Bill, which the proposer said "would aim to protect the

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

and publicly funded health and care services in other parts of the UK from any form of control from outside the UK".

Personal life

In 2014, Atherton married Nicholas John Daniel Corcoran. She has a son.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Atherton, Sarah 1967 births Living people UK MPs 2019–2024 21st-century British women politicians Conservative Party (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Welsh constituencies Intelligence Corps soldiers Alumni of Bangor University English nurses English people of Welsh descent Military personnel from Cheshire People from Cheshire (before 1974) Politicians from Chester Women in the British Army