Vicky Ford

Biography

Vicky Ford was Minister of State for Development in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) from 6 September 2022 to 25 October 2022.

Previously Vicky was appointed Minister for Africa at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in September 2021, and became the Minister for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean from December 2021 until September 2022.

Vicky was the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families at the Department for Education from February 2020 to September 2021. She was elected as the Conservative MP for Chelmsford in 2017.

Education

Vicky studied Maths and Economics at Trinity College, Cambridge.

Political career

From February 2020 to September 2021, Vicky served as Minister for Children and Families in the Department for Education, with responsibilities for vulnerable children. Before this she was a member of the Parliament’s Science & Technology and Women & Equalities Select Committees. She previously served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development.

A long-term campaigner on environmental matters, Vicky was a founder member of the Conservative Environment Network. In 2018, she led the ‘Give Up Plastic for Lent’ campaign which contributed to government initiatives to reduce single use plastics. She has chaired a number of all party groups including those for Women in Parliament, Rare Diseases, Infrastructure and the Parliamentary Forum for Information and Communications Technology.

Vicky was a Member of the European Parliament for the East of England constituency from 2009 to 2017. She chaired the Internal Market and Consumer Affairs Committee (IMCO) in the European Parliament, during which time she was ranked in the top 10 most influential MEPs by Politico magazine.

As well as leading digital policy and single market reforms to boost trade, Vicky led negotiations that ended mobile roaming charges in the EU and chaired the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee as it revised proposed amendments to European gun laws following the Paris terrorist attacks. She also led on banking reform in the aftermath of the financial crisis and on budgetary reforms for Eurozone countries. Vicky helped establish a €80 billion Horizon fund for science and research that brought over £500 million into the East of England.

Prior to her election as a MEP, Vicky was a local councillor in South Cambridgeshire, leading for finance and community development.

Career outside politics

Before entering politics, Vicky was a managing director of a major international bank. She was involved in raising finance for key infrastructure projects across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Personal life

Vicky was born and grew up in Northern Ireland. She is married to Hugo Ford, a cancer specialist, who she met while at Trinity College, Cambridge. They have 3 student-aged children. Vicky is a former Board Member of Anglia Ruskin University and serves on the Board for Essex Cricket.

Follow Vicky Ford on Twitter: @vickyford.