Jane Stevenson (politician)


Jane Fiona Catherine Stevenson is a British Conservative Party politician who was elected as the Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton North East at the 2019 general election, when she defeated the incumbent Labour MP Emma Reynolds, who had represented the constituency since the 2010 general election.

Early life and music career

Stevenson 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. Her mother is from the Mattox family, whose roots in Wednesfield go back to the 18th century.
Before entering politics, Stevenson 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 Stevenson 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 Harare International Festival of the Arts in Zimbabwe and concerts in the United Arab Emirates and Uganda. European venues included Paris, Rome, Berlin, Salzburg and Vienna. She has also performed in Subotica, Serbia, one of Wolverhampton's twin towns.

Political career

Stevenson has been interested in politics since her teens. She first attended the Conservative Party Conference in the early 1990s with a group from Wolverhampton. The group included then MP Nick Budgen, one of the original Maastricht Rebels. Having campaigned for Vote Leave in Wolverhampton in 2016 Stevenson decided to get more involved in the Conservative Party. Before standing for Parliament in 2019, she served as Deputy Chairman for the Black Country Area and was a city councillor in Wolverhampton.

Personal life

Her favourite biscuit is the Garibaldi biscuit.