Tolhurst was born in Rochester, where her father Morris Tolhurst was a boat builder. She attended Wainscott Primary School in Rochester and Chapter School in Strood, a non-selective state school for girls aged 11 to 18.[8][9] From 2008, she ran a marine survey business, called Tolhurst Associates, with her father, with employment in marketing previous to this point.[10][11]
Political career
Tolhurst was elected to the Rochester West ward on Medway Council in 2011 and served as a councillor until 2018 when she resigned. In the by-election for the ward that followed in March 2018, the seat was taken by the Labour candidate Alex Paterson.[12][13] She was selected to contest the 2014 Rochester and Strood by-election which was triggered by the defection of Mark Reckless to UKIP.[14] Tolhurst lost the by-election, held on 20 November 2014, but regained the seat for the Conservatives at the 2015 general election six months later, securing a majority of over 7,000.[15] She was re-elected in 2017.
Tolhurst has served on the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, the European Scrutiny Committee and the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee.[16] She was made an assistant government whip during the reshuffle on 9 January 2018.[17]
In February 2020, Tolhurst was appointed as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport at the Department for Transport, succeeding Nus Ghani who had been relieved of ministerial responsibilities.
Tolhurst campaigned to remain in the European Union prior to the 2016 referendum.[19]
