Ansell served as a local councillor for the Meads ward on Eastbourne Borough Council from 2012 to 2015 and became deputy opposition leader, with the shadow portfolio for community including housing.[4][5] In her first two years in the House of Commons she was influential in fighting two separate immigration issues on behalf of constituents and against revenge porn.[6][7][8][9]
Caroline Ansell was born on 12 January 1971 in Eastbourne, the youngest of four daughters of Scottish parents.[3][10] Her early education was at state primaries, before being educated at Beresford House School, a private day and boarding school for girls aged 6–18.[11]
Ansell worked for a number of years as a French teacher, in both the private and state sectors. She qualified as a headteacher in 2008, at the age of 37, but did not take up a role in this profession. She worked in a support role at Cavendish School in Eastbourne in the same year as one of her children was diagnosed with a brain tumour, which led her to take a sabbatical from teaching.[12]
During her time as a councillor, Ansell successfully secured cross party support to establishing Eastbourne as the 'Eastern Gateway Town' to the South Downs National Park and the authority's support for a second runway at Gatwick Airport. She was part of the team to bring back Meads Magic, a community Christmas event which brings thousands of people to the area.[14][15][16]
Ansell was subsequently elected again as a Councillor on 2 May 2019, this time representing Sovereign Ward of Eastbourne Borough Council. During her second term on the council, she worked cross party to oppose the closure of the station health centre, [17] helped ensure the completion of the Sovereign Harbour Community Centre [18] and led the campaign against the usage of out-of-area placements in Eastbourne by Brighton & Hove Council. [19]
Ansell exerted influence with ministers to enable substantial investment into the town. This included £75 million to improve the A27[22] a major problem for Eastbourne[23] and £5 million from the government's Local Growth Fund Round 3 programme[24] given to the town's Devonshire Park development and a share of £13.2 million earmarked for Sovereign Harbour from the same pot of money.[25]
In April 2016, Ansell helped an American Eastbourne resident and mother Katy Garlington, who was allowed to stay in the UK after Ansell intervened with the Home Office and persuaded the then immigration minister James Brokenshire to stop her deportation.[26][6] Another Eastbourne resident Atterbell Maplanka was released from custody over immigration issues after another intervention from Ansell.[7] Ansell also championed the campaign by victims of revenge porn offender Olly Whiting[27] to obtain justice for his crimes after he posted content on a US website, working with local police, Sussex PCC Katy Bourne and the then-Home Secretary, Theresa May.
Ansell worked with local Eastbourne actress Lauren Backler[28] and her campaign to reduce the bowel cancer screening age from 60 to 50 in England to bring it in line with Scotland. Backler lost her mother to the disease and Ansell organised a parliamentary debate on the issue and lobbied ministers to look into the lowering the age to 50. Backler became a champion for the charity Bowel Cancer UK[29] and raised awareness of the condition and its symptoms.
Ansell voted to leave the EU at the 2016 Brexit referendum, in line with her constituency who voted by 57% to 43% to do the same.[30][31] Prior to making her intention to vote for Brexit, Ansell organised and chaired the largest debate on the issue in the south east of England.[32] The Big Eastbourne EU debate took place at the 1680-capacity Congress Theatre in the town on 26 May 2016 after the 900-seat Winter Garden was too small for the numbers who wanted to attend.[33]
In the 2016 Conservative leadership election, Ansell supported Theresa May. She said of May: "In these challenging times, I firmly believe she has the experience and credibility to be an excellent Prime Minister. Her authority is unmatched and as such she will command the respect of the House of Commons and the confidence of the public".[34]
In April 2017, 51-year-old factory worker Mark Sands was jailed for four months for posting multiple death threats directed at Ansell via social media because he wrongly believed that she had voted for a cut to a disability benefit. The perpetrator had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of "sending via electronic communications a message that was grossly offensive". Sands wrote on his personal Facebook wall: "If you vote to take £30 off my money, I will personally come round to your house... and stab you to death".[35] He was also issued with a restraining order forbidding him from contacting Ansell. On jailing Sands, District Judge Christopher James said that the offence was so serious that only a custodial sentence was appropriate.[36] In a statement released following Sands' sentencing, Ansell said: "I do not have any anger towards Mark Sands for what he has done, but many people in public life, particularly women, have to contend with similar abuse and threats on social media sometimes every day, and it is time it was stopped".[37]
In June 2017, Ansell accepted an unpaid intern from the charity Christian Action Research and Education (CARE).[38] The funded staff member worked within Ansell's parliamentary office and a donation value of £8,470 was ascribed to the post as a monthly bursary for the individual.[39] CARE had drawn controversy after it was revealed in 2012[40] that it had sponsored a conference in 2009 which included sessions promoting therapy for homosexuality described as "mentoring for the sexually broken", which was described in the press as conversion therapy or "gay cures".[39] CARE responded to the connection in a statement: "It has been falsely claimed that CARE supports the so-called 'gay cure'. We do not. Creating a link between CARE and this issue may make dramatic headlines but it is false and defamatory to claim or imply that CARE supports any so-called 'gay cure'"[41] Ansell responded saying that she has "acted for everyone in Eastbourne regardless of their colour, creed or sexual orientation" and that "society should be tolerant of everyone's beliefs and that is the message I take around my constituency and to parliament".[39] She further added: "I have a CARE intern because she was the best candidate after I interviewed. To have not given her a job because she is religious is discrimination and I stand by my decision".[42]
In January 2022, during the Covid-related staff shortages Ansell returned to her former profession as a teacher, in response to an appeal by the Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi for ex-teachers to return to the classrooms. While some expressed reservations about bringing back retired teachers, Ansell promised to use her experience to help shape government policy. She asserted that it was "mission critical" to keep schools open. [48]
Ansell put forward an amendment which aimed to reduce the upper limit for abortion from 24 to 22 weeks, securing the support of 40 other MPs.[49]
In May 2024, Ansell was re-selected as the Conservative candidate for Eastbourne at the 2024 general election.[50] In the election she was unseated by Liberal Democrat Josh Babarinde, who was once a pupil that she taught.[51]
Personal life
Ansell married Nicholas Ansell, a PE teacher, in 1997.[52] They have three children.[12][53] She attends King's Church and also attends the Catholic Our Lady of Ransom Church in Eastbourne.[54]
From 2015 to 2017, Ansell employed her husband as a full-time personal assistant with public funds.[55] In 2016, officials at the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) said that they were "taken aback" by the fact that there were still 18 MPs, including Ansell, who employed family members in their offices. This was in line with the rules which had been amended by IPSA following the MP expenses scandal to limit employing one family member per office. A review by IPSA in 2010 found that "MPs' family members can provide good value for money due to their willingness to work long and anti-social hours…evidence of only one instance of abuse under the House of Commons system".[56][57]
Ansell has given various reasons for her interest and motivation in politics; she noted in her maiden speech that:
"I am a teacher and passionate about education, but it was my boy's shock diagnosis of a life-threatening brain tumour, then aged five, that changed the course of my life and has ultimately brought me to the House of Commons."[58][10][12][59][60]
