![speaker](/sites/www.rebeccaharris.org/files/styles/gallery_large/public/2019-02/speaker.jpg?itok=Fus06vQk)
Rebecca Harris was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Castle Point at the General Election in May 2010 and was successfully re-elected in 2015, 2017 & 2019 respectively.
In June 2017, Rebecca was delighted to be appointed to the Government Whips Office, a role which she continues to perform. In July 2022, she was appointed as the first ever female Comptroller of HM Household in over 600 years. This is a senior position within the Whips Office responsible for ensuring all Government legislation progresses through Parliament and into law. In addition, Rebecca is also the Foreign Office Government Whip and the Private Members’ Bills Whip.
Rebecca Harris was previously a member of the Business, Innovation & Skills Select Committee which met weekly, and the Regulatory Reform Committee.
Rebecca is a keen supporter of small businesses, from her background of being an employer, and campaigned to make sure the Government was doing all it can to ensure support for small enterprise. One issue in particular that Rebecca campaigned on is Business Rates. In her role as a member of the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee business rates was an issue that came up in a number of their enquiries. Rebecca had correspondence with the Chancellor prior to Autumn Statements and Budget days on this issue and was pleased to see the Chancellor cap small business rates to 2% in the Autumn Statement in December 2013.
Rebecca campaigned on the issue of trying to get drivers who are knowingly medically unfit off the road following the tragic case of one of her constituents. Rebecca had meetings and correspondence with the Department for Transport, the DVLA, leading insurance companies as well as various road safety charities to see how this issue could be tackled. Rebecca was also named Road Safety Parliamentarian of the Month by the road safety charity ‘Brake’.
Rebecca was co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fuel Poverty and Energy Efficiency, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Brain Tumours and a member of All Party Parliamentary Group for Visteon Pensioners. She was also a member of the Fresh Start Project which work with MPs across party lines, along with leading 'think tanks', interest groups, Lords, MEPs and constitutional experts to examine the options for a new UK-EU relationship; set out what this new relationship could look like; establish a process for achieving change; and build political support to make it happen.
For Rebecca's speeches and appearances in Parliament, see below.