Jane is a proud Wulfrunian and is delighted to represent her home city in Parliament.
Jane was born and raised in Wolverhampton. Her father was from Northern Ireland and settled in Wolverhampton in the 1950s. He lived in Bushbury for the last 30 years of his life. Jane’s mother is from the Mattox family, whose roots in Wednesfield go back to the 18th century.
Before entering politics, Jane worked as a classical singer. Having performed with local orchestras while studying at Wolverhampton Girls’ High School, she won an entrance scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music in London. After completing post-graduate opera studies Jane freelanced as a soprano soloist for many years. She also taught singing.
Her singing engagements included roles with English Touring Opera and the Early Opera Company, and concerts in the Royal Albert Hall and Symphony Hall, Birmingham. International work included the HIFA Festival in Zimbabwe and concerts in the UAE and Uganda. European venues included Paris, Rome, Berlin, Salzburg and Vienna. She has also performed in Subotica, Serbia – one of Wolverhampton’s twin towns.
Jane has been interested in politics since her teens. She first attended Conservative Party Conference in the early 1990s with a group from Wolverhampton. The group included Nick Budgen MP, one of the original Maastricht Rebels. Having campaigned for Vote Leave in Wolverhampton in 2016 Jane decided to get more involved in the Conservative Party. Before standing for Parliament in 2019, she served as Deputy Chairman (Political) for the Black Country Area and was a city councillor in Wolverhampton.
Jane was elected as the Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton North East in 2019. Since her election, Jane has always prioritised local issues. She played a vital role in securing over £2 billion of government investment for the City, for major projects like the City Learning Quarter, Green Innovation Corridor and improvements to Wednesfield High Street. She also worked closely with residents to save Greenbelt within Wolverhampton and in South Staffs at Linthouse Lane.
An ardent supporter of our Armed Forces, Jane spent two years on the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme, training with all three Services to better understand the challenges our Forces face.
Jane was elected to serve on the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, where she fought for football fans to have a greater say in the running of their clubs. A lifelong Wolves fan, she has recently backed fans by speaking out against season ticket price hikes.
As a champion of animal rights, Jane has supported a number of animal welfare bills during her time in Parliament. Her own bill, banning the public use of cruel glue traps, was passed in 2022. Because of her work, Jane was invited to become a Patron of the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation.
Jane served as Parliamentary Private Secretary in the Department for Business and Trade, under Secretary of State, Kemi Badenoch. She resigned this role in January 2024 after backing rebel amendments to the Rwanda Bill.
Jane is seeking re-election in her home seat so she can continue her work championing the people of Wolverhampton North East.