MP for Romsey and Southampton North takes over from Brandon Lewis in cabinet reshuffle
In a cabinet reshuffle today, Prime Minister Theresa May has appointed Caroline Nokes as the new immigration minister.
Image credit: WikipediaShe succeeds Brandon Lewis, who had held the post since last June's General Election and who was today promoted to the role of Chairman of the Conservative Party.
Nokes is the MP for Romsey and Southampton North in Hampshire, a seat she first won in 2010.
According to TheyWorkForYou, Nokes has a record of consistently voting for stronger enforcement of immigration rules and for a stricter asylum system, and a record of generally voting against laws to promote equality and human rights.
Hansard does not find any spoken contributions by Nokes in the House of Commons that mention 'immigration'.
Her personal website is here. Immigration does not feature as a topic among her articles, but in 2015 she posted an article on the Government's plan to accept 20,000 Syrian refugees. Nokes said she was "pleased to see the Government has listened to the British people and is acting to ensure the UK helps more refugees, in a safe and responsible way."
She continued: "Whatever our views on immigration, I know we can all agree that no child, regardless of race or religion, should live in fear of their own government as they must in Syria. Equally, they should not grow up in fear of persecution due to their religious beliefs as many do in areas cut off by the curtain of fundamentalism."
In the EU referendum, Nokes voted in favour of remaining. She told the Southern Echo at the time: "It is my genuine belief that the UK is better off as part of the European Union and on June 23 I will be voting to remain a member."
Nokes first worked as a policy adviser for her MEP father, before serving as a councillor for Test Valley Borough Council in Hampshire from 1999 until her election success in 2010.
In her Parliamentary career, Nokes was appointed Minister for Government Resilience and Efficiency following June's General Election and she has been a member of the Environmental Audit Committee and the Education Select Committee.