Annette Shelby

Dame Annette July Shelby is an Independent MP serving as Speaker of the House of Commons. She was first elected to represent Stalybridge and Hyde in 2003, having previously been the MP for Hazel Grove from 1992-1999. She is married to the former Prime Minister Frederick Shelby and has 4 children. A political moderate, she has always found a way to reach across all parties for the betterment of the country. She was elected at the same time as the current Chancellor, her first cousin Michael Fabricant, who she considers a close personal friend, and was likely the person who got her appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 2003. She held the title of the 'Rt. Hon. Dame Annette Fabricant DBE MP QC PHD' until 2008, when Prime Minister Nigel Duncan made her the first Duchess of Stockport

Early Life
Studied History and Politics at Edinburgh from 1984 till 1987, she then did a masters and PHD in politics as a part-time study.

MP for Hazel Grove
In 1992, Shelby was elected the MP for Hazel Grove, she was the chair of the Liberal Party from 1991 until her resignation in 1994 to become Chief Secretary to the Treasury. In 1995, Prime Minister John Major appointed Shelby the Chancellor of the Exchequer to help secure Liberals support for the upcoming election, after the former Chancellor resigned. In 1997, after Labour's Landslide victory, Shelby returned to the opposition benches where she became Deputy Leader of the Liberal Unionists.

In 1998, she resigned from the party to focus her time on her children. Her husband went on to win the 1999 Leadership Contest, she then also resigned as an MP.

Royalist MP
In 2003, Shelby was elected to her husband’s seat of Stalybridge and Hyde as a Royalist, serving as the Deputy Leader under George Wellesley. She resumed her former post as Chief Secretary to the Treasury under the Gove coalition Government. She resigned the position along with the Royalist whip in protest of the Iraq war.

Independent MP
Shelby then sat on the opposition backbench as an independent, before making her return to the Front Bench as Shadow Secretary of State for Transportation under Sir Harvey Moc. She resigned this position in February 2004 to become the Deputy Speaker.

Deputy Speakership
Shelby served as the Deputy Speaker under both Ian Paisley and Luke Andrews.

Speaker of the House
Shelby is currently serving as the Speaker of the House of Commons after receiving a unanimous vote of confidence.