Dame Jackie Doyle Price, 56, is a British former Conservative party MP, who was member of parliament for Thurrock from 2010 until 2024. In 2022 she was appointed minister of state for industry. Jackie lost her seat in the 2024 elections, after 14 years in office.
Can you share a bit about your background and what inspired you to pursue a career in politics ?
I was born and raised on a council estate in Sheffield. My dad was a bricklayer and my mum worked in Woolworths. I was the eldest of three sisters and we all attended Notre Dame, a Catholic comprehensive school.
My family were not at all political, but during the 1980s the Conservative Government gave them the chance to buy their council house. I witnessed the resistance they faced from the local Labour council when they came to exercise their right. At the time I was a teenager. That experience stimulated my interest in politics.
For me politics is all about giving people the best opportunities to make the best of themselves.
My parents were good decent people who wanted to work hard and do the best for their family. As I saw it, the Conservative Government gave them a leg up. From then on I was hooked. I went on to study economics and politics at university and became involved the Conservative Party.
It wasn’t until my thirties that I decided to pursue a political career myself. By then Tony Blair was Prime Minister. I watched what was happening in Parliament and decided that I had things I wanted to say and do and that I had something to offer. So I decided to pursue being elected myself.
To stand for Parliament you need to be selected by a local association to be their candidate. I often describe it as being a bit like being on the X factor. You visit local associations and ask them to choose you. I was fortunate to be chosen in Thurrock, and the rest as they say is history.
Were there any experiences in your early life that shaped your political views ?
Buying their council house was transformational to my parents, as it was for so many working class families. It totally informed my entire approach to politics. Government should be about giving a hand up. I watched the Conservatives focus on cutting people taxes, enabling everyone to keep more of what they earn. Hardworking people should be able to enjoy what they work for. Of course, the State should support those who need it but we should always remember that it can only spend money it collects from taxpayers. Money that has been earned by hardworking people.
Did you have any role models or mentors on your journey and how did they influence your journey ?
Margaret Thatcher provided inspiring leadership of our country throughout the 1980s. It isn’t fashionable to say so, but our economy was transformed. As a Conservative from a very working class background I was very inspired by people in her Government who came from modest backgrounds.
The person I would single out the most is John Major. The boy from Brixton who left school at the age of 16 and rose to lead our country. He has been a real inspiration to me and I am very fortunate to have been able to enjoy his support over the years. When he won the General election in 1992 he got more than 14 million votes. That total has never been achieved since. Not even by Tony Blair or Boris Johnson.
What motivated you to run for parliament and did you have any initial challenges when you first entered politics ?
As an avid watcher of politics I became clearer and clearer in my own mind about what was wrong, what needed fixing and what I believed in. I decided that I had something to offer and that it was something that I wanted to do. Politics is very competitive but self belief and confidence will get you most of the way. It is like anything else. You have to persevere and work at it. I would encourage anyone with beliefs to get involved in politics. The work of elected politicians is important in bringing accountability and it is important that it continues to attract people who care.
Can you discuss a legislative that you are particularly proud of ?
When I served as Minister in the Department of Health, I was able to make decisions and take action which made a real difference. I supported legislation to alter the system of organ donation from opt-in to opt-out which has led to more lives being saved. I began the review of mental health legislation which is now being implemented.
When I took responsibility for contaminated blood I immediately asked the Prime Minister to hold a public inquiry which has led to those affected finally being compensated after all these years. I am especially pleased to have been able to begin the work to develop a Women’s health strategy. With common gynaecological conditions like fibroids and endometriosis going undiagnosed for years, it became clear that women were simply not being heard. Problem periods were not taken seriously. Women were expected to simply suffer in silence. I convened a task force that brought together the NHS, the Royal colleges and Government to give challenge and force the NHS to treat women’s health conditions more seriously.
Is balancing your private life and political career challenging ?
It can be. You have to be quite ruthless in managing your time so that you have enough time for yourself and family. It’s important to remember that you can’t please all a the people all the time and you shouldn’t try. It’s an interesting fact that many marriages break up within two years of someone being elected to Parliament so there is no doubt that it causes strain.
How do you think the political landscape can be improved to better support women and underrepresented groups ?
A lot of effort has been made in recent years to make politics more accessible to underrepresented groups. Women now make up 40% of Members of Parliament so there has been considerable progress.
What message would you give to young women who aspire to politics ?
Jackie Doyle Price with former Prime Minister John Major
My message is go for it. Politics really does matter. It saddens me that politicians are so routinely abused. The work we do is important. Without the scrutiny of elected politicians public services can do as they like
My big question ! do you think that women are now equal in roles in parliament ? I remember the Margaret Thatcher days when she was pretty much a lone wolf amongst all the men !
Let’s be honest, women still face discrimination in every walk of life. But things are massively improved. When Margaret Thatcher was elected she was one of only 6 women MPs. Now there are 264. It still feels like women face more criticism than their male counterparts. Diane Abbott, the first black woman MP receives more abuse than anyone. Angela Rayner is constantly criticised. In her case there is more than whiff of snobbery which would rarely be levelled at a man. I have huge admiration for both these ladies.
Of course we have had three women as Prime Minister, and the Conservative Party is now led by Kemi Badenoch. I still believe there is a cohort of men who can never accept being led by a woman and leadership will always pose more of a challenge when a woman gets the top job.
Where do you see yourself and your political career in the next five to ten years ?
It’s a year since I was defeated and I am not quite sure what happens next. I am still motivated by public service and I am looking for new opportunities to serve. I continue to support the Conservative Party. Our society faces a number of challenges which are not yet being properly addressed by our political system. COVID has saddled us with debt and we will need to spend more of defence in an unstable world. This will mean we have to make economies as the country is living well beyond its means. The burden of paying for it will be picked up younger generations who have also been priced out of buying their own home. Political leadership means being honest with the country that difficult choices will need to be made.
Are there any specific policies or initiatives you hope to champion in the future ?
I will continue to champion issues relating to women. There is still a lot to do to tackle sexual violence. We now finally have work taking place to tackle the grooming gangs but there is still much to do for the whole of society to make life safer for women. There isn’t a single woman who hasn’t been leered at and made to feel uncomfortable. Sexually aggressive behaviour by men must become socially unacceptable.
What legacy do you hope to leave when your political life is over ?
In politics you continually strive to make things better. I but there is always more to be done. I am proud of the work we did to improve schools in Thurrock and the presence of Harris academies is a lasting legacy. But in politics work is always still in progress. There will always be more campaigns to fight, more problems to fix. And in that sense my political life will never be over.
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