Claire Coutinho Explained

Honorific-Prefix:The Right Honourable
Claire Coutinho
Office1:Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
Primeminister1:Rishi Sunak
Term Start1:31 August 2023
Term End1:5 July 2024
Predecessor1:Grant Shapps
Successor1:Ed Miliband
Office2:Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children, Families and Wellbeing
Primeminister2:Rishi Sunak
Termstart2:28 October 2022
Termend2:31 August 2023
Predecessor2:Kelly Tolhurst
Successor2:David Johnston
Office3:Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Disabled People, Health and Work
Primeminister3:Liz Truss
Termstart3:21 September 2022
Termend3:28 October 2022
Predecessor3:Chloe Smith
Successor3:Tom Pursglove
Office4:Member of Parliament
for East Surrey
Term Start4:12 December 2019
Predecessor4:Sam Gyimah
Majority4:7,450 (15.2%)
Birth Name:Claire Coryl Julia Coutinho
Birth Date:1985 7, df=yes
Birth Place:London, England
Party:Conservative
Alma Mater:Exeter College, Oxford
Office:Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
Predecessor:Ed Miliband
Term Start:8 July 2024
Leader:Rishi Sunak

Claire Coryl Julia Coutinho (born 8 July 1985) is a British Conservative Party politician and former investment banker who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for East Surrey since 2019. She served as Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero from August 2023 to July 2024, and has served as the Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero since July 2024. She has been described as a close ally of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and as an ardent supporter of Brexit.

After graduating in mathematics and philosophy from Exeter College, Oxford, Coutinho worked as an associate at the investment bank Merrill Lynch for nearly four years, and co-founded, with food writer Mina Holland, a literary-themed events company called The Novel Diner. She also worked the centre-right think tank Centre for Social Justice and at the industry group Housing and Finance Institute created by Natalie Elphicke, and for accounting firm KPMG as a corporate responsibility manager. She left KPMG to become a special adviser at HM Treasury; initially working for Julian Smith, she then became an aide to Sunak.

She served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Disabled People from September to October 2022 and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children, Families and Wellbeing from October 2022 to August 2023.

Early life and education

Claire Coutinho was born on 8 July 1985 in London.[1] [2] Her parents emigrated from India in the late 1970s and are of Goan Christian descent. Her late father Winston was an anaesthetist, and her mother Maria is a general practitioner.[3] [4] [5] Coutinho attended James Allen's Girls' School, a private day school in Dulwich,[6] before studying for a BA/MA in mathematics and philosophy at Exeter College, Oxford.[6] [7]

Career

After graduating, Coutinho worked as an associate at the investment bank Merrill Lynch for nearly four years.[8] In 2012, Coutinho and food writer Mina Holland founded a literary-themed events company called The Novel Diner.[9] [10] Two years later, she appeared on the cooking game show The Taste judged by Anthony Bourdain and Nigella Lawson. The Novel Diner was dissolved in 2015.

Coutinho worked at Iain Duncan Smith's centre-right think tank Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) between 2013 and 2015 and later became a programme director for the industry group Housing and Finance Institute created by Natalie Elphicke between 2015 and 2017.[11] In the former role, she focussed on financial inclusion, education, and regeneration policy.[12] After this, she worked for accounting firm KPMG as a corporate responsibility manager between 2017 and 2018.[13] [14]

Coutinho left the company to become a special adviser at HM Treasury. Initially working for Julian Smith,[15] she then became an aide to Rishi Sunak.[16] Coutinho has commented that she left KPMG to join the government as a special adviser so that she could help deliver Brexit "from the inside", having supported the Leave vote in the 2016 EU membership referendum.

Parliamentary career

Coutinho was selected as the Conservative candidate for East Surrey on 11 November 2019.[17] Described in The Guardian as a "super-safe Conservative seat", it was previously held by Sam Gyimah who defected to the Liberal Democrats in September that year.[18]

She was elected as MP for East Surrey at the 2019 general election with 59.7% of the vote and a majority of 24,040.[19] [20] [21] This was almost exactly same share of the constituency vote that the Conservative Party has secured in the previous election in 2017, when Gyimah took 59.6% of votes cast.[19]

In May 2020, she was criticised by several of her local constituents for supporting Dominic Cummings, then the chief adviser to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in taking a controversial 260mile trip from London to County Durham during a national lockdown in the COVID-19 pandemic.[22] In June 2020, the windows of the East Surrey Conservative Association offices were graffitied with the words "liars, cheats, traitors" in black paint.[23]

Coutinho was appointed as a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) at HM Treasury, and joined the advisory board of the centre-right think tank Onward in February 2020.[24] [25] She was a senior fellow at the conservative think tank Policy Exchange in 2021.[26] Coutinho resigned from her position as PPS on 6 July 2022 in protest at Prime Minister Johnson's leadership following the Chris Pincher scandal,[27] and endorsed Sunak in the July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election.[28]

Coutinho served as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Disabled People between September and October 2022 and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children, Families and Wellbeing between October 2022 and August 2023.[29] [30]

She wrote to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan in February 2023 to express her opposition to the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone in the city.[31]

The government signed a £19.5 million contract with consultancy Newton Europe in June 2022 to design and develop its Delivering Better Value (DBV) programme, which aimed to reduce budget deficits in the education of children with special educational needs and disabilities with a target of at least 20% cut in new education provision. In May 2023, Coutinho stated to the Education Select Committee that there were no targets.[32]

In August 2023, Coutinho wrote to social landlords, housing associations and developers calling on them to let childminders work from rented properties. She commented that restrictive clauses in their contracts may stop them working from their homes.[33]

At the 2024 general election, Coutinho was re-elected to Parliament as MP for East Surrey with a decreased vote share of 35.6% and a decreased majority of 7,450.[34]

On 8 July 2024, Coutinho was appointed as Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero since July 2024 in Rishi Sunak's shadow cabinet.[35]

Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero

See also: Sunak ministry. On 31 August 2023, Coutinho was appointed as Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, replacing Grant Shapps; she was the first of the MPs elected in 2019 to join the Cabinet, and at 38 was the youngest member.[36]

In the Daily Telegraph, Daniel Martin and Ben Riley-Smith commented that Coutinho's appointment came at a time when Sunak's government was signalling "a subtle change of policy from the Government away from green causes".[37] They reported that a "senior government source" had stated that both Sunak and Coutinho were committed to planning for net zero, but would be looking to prevent people from facing large financial costs for the implementation of net zero plans.[37] The reporters noted that although she had previously supported both the preservation of green belts and the expansion of wild rural spaces, she had also shown sympathy for owners of oil boilers, and speculated that she might overturn the policies of banning new oil boilers from 2026 and of banning new petrol and diesel cars from 2030.[37] Heather Stewart of The Guardian remarked that Coutinho while appeared to show a genuine interest in environmental issues, as evidenced by her membership of the Conservative Environment Network before becoming a minister, Sunak's position seemed to be to seek to gain votes by backtracking on the party's net zero commitments.

In a speech at the 2023 Conservative Party Conference, Coutinho claimed that the Labour Party supported the introduction of a meat tax. Factchecking charity Full Fact found no evidence of this. When pressed by Sky News journalist Sophy Ridge on her comments, she said that it was only a light-hearted moment in her speech and provided no evidence for her assertion.[38]

In April 2024, Coutinho replied to criticism from Chris Stark, the outgoing Head of the Climate Change Committee that provides independent advice to ministers, that Sunak's government had hampered progress on climate change.[39] Coutinho countered that the UK was the first major economy to reduce its emissions by half since 1990, and that she had made changes to the tax system to encourage investment in the energy sector.[39] She added that the government would be "sensible and pragmatic" in its plans for net zero, and avoid ""heap[ing] costs on families".[39]

Coutinho has been characterised as an ardent Brexit supporter,[40] [4] and as a factional ally of Sunak.[41] [4] Stewart wrote that "Like Sunak... Coutinho has spoken with pride about her Indian background".[41] Rachel Cunliffe of New Statesman wrote that descriptions of Coutinho from Conservative Members of Parliament included that she was competent, "work-driven", "level-headed" and "forensic-minded".[4] Discussing Coutinho's reputation amongst her colleagues, Cunliffe remarked that "The common narrative is that Coutinho is a dedicated grafter who got lucky, backed the right person at the right time, and has been rewarded by a troubled Prime Minister desperately trying to surround himself with people he can trust."[4]

Honours

External links

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: Members Sworn. UK Parliament. 18 December 2019. 28 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20191219003923/https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2019-12-18/debates/2E37F0BD-4DF0-40A6-B9F9-0607212DBFB1/MembersSworn. 19 December 2019. live.
  2. Book: Brunskill, Ian. The Times Guide to the House of Commons 2019: the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election. 19 March 2020. 978-0-00-839258-1. 350. HarperCollins Publishers Limited . 1129682574 . 23 June 2021. 29 September 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230929051457/https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1129682574. live.
  3. News: After UK polls, Pune family gets its first MP from East Surrey. 15 December 2019. 5 February 2020. Pandit. Shiladitya. The Times of India. 1 September 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901003552/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/after-uk-polls-pune-family-gets-its-first-mp-from-east-surrey/articleshow/72647336.cms. live.
  4. Cuniffe . Rachel . The quiet ruthlessness of Claire Coutinho . The New Statesman . 20 November 2023 . 22 April 2024 . 17 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240117023629/https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/conservatives/2023/11/the-quiet-ruthlessness-of-claire-coutinho . live .
  5. Web site: Winston Basil Aquino Coutinho. General Medical Council. 5 February 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200205121714/https://www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/3034792. 5 February 2020. live.
  6. Web site: Class of 2019: Meet the new MPs. Bond. Daniel. 16 December 2019. 5 February 2020. Politics Home. https://web.archive.org/web/20191217174745/https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/political-parties/conservative-party/house/house-magazine/108577/class-2019-meet-new-mps. 17 December 2019. live.
  7. Web site: Exeter Excelling. 11. Exeter College, Oxford. 5 February 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20171013060319/http://www.exeter.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Exeter_Excelling_Campaign_celebration_brochure.pdf. 13 October 2017. live.
  8. News: Ones to watch: The most promising new MPs of 2019. The Spectator. 18 December 2019. Carter. Gus. 5 February 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200109103347/https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2019/12/ones-to-watch-the-most-promising-new-mps-of-2019/. 9 January 2020. live.
  9. Web site: The Novel Diner does The Bell Jar. The Upcoming. 20 March 2013. 5 February 2020. Audley. Alice. https://web.archive.org/web/20200205121659/https://www.theupcoming.co.uk/2013/03/20/restaurant-review-the-novel-diner-does-the-bell-jar/. 5 February 2020. live.
  10. Web site: Save 7 December for the Novel Diner's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-themed Supperclub. Litro. 5 February 2020. 27 March 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240327172408/https://www.litromagazine.com/?print=print. live.
  11. Web site: Coaching for councils. Inside Housing. 8 January 2016. 5 February 2020. Cooper. Keith. https://web.archive.org/web/20200205120204/https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/insight/coaching-for-councils-45764. 5 February 2020. live.
  12. News: 'The most loyal': Tory rising star Claire Coutinho enters UK cabinet. Financial Times. 31 August 2023. 9 September 2023. Fisher. Lucy. Gross. Anna. 1 September 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901112313/https://www.ft.com/content/fbf83227-cd64-40b5-9b42-94b3d9be5b70. live.
  13. Web site: Claire Coutinho. 9 September 2023. LinkedIn.
  14. News: Langford . Eleanor . rising star who has replaced Grant Shapps as Energy Secretary . i . 31 August 2023 . 27 March 2024 . 27 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240327172853/https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/who-claire-coutinho-tory-rising-star-grant-shapps-energy-secretary-2584155 . live .
  15. Web site: Annual Report on Special Advisers, 2018. 10. 5 February 2020. UK Parliament. https://web.archive.org/web/20190725124447/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/766413/AnnualReportOnSpecialAdvisers2018.pdf. 25 July 2019. live.
  16. Web site: Annual Report on Special Advisers 2019. 13. 5 February 2020. UK Parliament. https://web.archive.org/web/20200110212547/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/854554/Annual_Report_on_Special_Advisers.pdf. 10 January 2020. live.
  17. Web site: New Conservative Candidate chosen for East Surrey. 11 November 2019. 5 February 2020. East Surrey Conservatives. https://web.archive.org/web/20200205120155/https://www.eastsurreyconservatives.org.uk/news/new-conservative-candidate-chosen-east-surrey. 5 February 2020. live.
  18. News: Former Conservative MP Sam Gyimah joins Lib Dems . 14 September 2019 . BBC News . 22 April 2024 . 10 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231110144731/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49703214 . live .
  19. Web site: 13 December 2019 . Surrey East . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190413011542/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000681 . 13 April 2019 . 5 February 2020 . Election 2019 .
  20. Web site: Jackson . Elaine . 14 November 2019 . Election of a Member of Parliament for the East Surrey Constituency: Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll . . 17 March 2024 . 25 February 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220225045246/https://www.tandridge.gov.uk/Portals/0/Documents/Your-council/Voting-and-elections/Current%20elections/General%20Election/Statement-of-Persons-Nominated-and-notice-of-poll.pdf?ver=2019-11-14-160145-033 . live.
  21. Web site: 28 January 2020 . Commons Briefing Paper 8749. General Election 2019: results and analysis . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211118043715/https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8749/CBP-8749.pdf . 18 November 2021 . 19 January 2022 . . London.
  22. News: Surrey MPs face backlash for supporting Dominic Cummings after Downing Street press conference. SurreyLive. Pengelly. Emma. 26 May 2020. Reach. 23 June 2020. 21 September 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230921055421/https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/surrey-mps-face-backlash-supporting-18309646. live.
  23. News: East Surrey Conservatives' office vandalised with the words 'traitors, liars, cheats'. SurreyLive. Pengelly. Emma. 4 June 2020. 23 June 2020. 31 August 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230831141247/https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/east-surrey-conservatives-office-vandalised-18361308. live.
  24. Last week I was delighted to be appointed as a PPS to @hmtreasury, I look forward to working with the excellent team there. AND for getting the keys to our new home in East Surrey! Big week. ClaireCoutinho. 1234440592731639808. 2 March 2020. 11 March 2020.
  25. Web site: Politico London Playbook: Baptism of fire — A touch of Frost — Super-forecasters. Politico Europe. 17 February 2020. 11 March 2020. Blanchard. Jack. 31 August 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230831141246/https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/london-playbook/politico-london-playbook-baptism-of-fire-a-touch-of-frost-super-forecasters/. live.
  26. Web site: The New Anglo-Indian Dialogue: Global Challenges and Tech Power in the 2020s. Policy Exchange. 20 April 2021. 10 September 2023. 30 November 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231130195235/https://policyexchange.org.uk/events/the-new-anglo-india-dialogue-global-challenges-and-tech-power-in-the-2020s/. live.
  27. News: Three more British lawmakers resign from PM Johnson's government . 6 July 2022 . Reuters . 6 July 2022 . 28 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230428174801/https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/three-more-british-lawmakers-resign-pm-johnsons-government-2022-07-06/ . live.
  28. News: Who's backing who? Raab backs Rishi. The Spectator. 12 July 2022. 12 July 2022. 8 July 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220708122203/https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/full-list-tory-endorsements-for-next-leader. live.
  29. Web site: Claire Coutinho MP. gov.uk. 31 August 2023. 31 August 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230831134024/https://www.gov.uk/government/people/claire-coutinho. live.
  30. Web site: Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work). gov.uk. 3 September 2023. 1 September 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901012551/https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/parliamentary-under-secretary-of-state--192. live.
  31. Web site: Claire writes to Sadiq Khan on ULEZ with Tandridge Councillors. 3 February 2023. 31 August 2023. Claire Coutinho. 31 August 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230831173651/https://www.clairecoutinho.com/news/claire-writes-sadiq-khan-ulez-tandridge-councillors. live.
  32. News: Revealed: covert deal to cut help for pupils in England with special needs. The Guardian. Jayanetti. Chaminda. 10 September 2023. 10 September 2023. 10 September 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230910103913/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/sep/10/revealed-covert-deal-to-cut-help-for-pupils-in-england-with-special-needs. live.
  33. News: Clarence-Smith . Louisa . 21 August 2023 . Minister calls on landlords to let tenants use homes to run childminding businesses . The Telegraph . 31 August 2023 . 0307-1235 . 31 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230831143726/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/08/21/claire-coutinho-landlords-tenants-use-homes-childminder/ . live.
  34. News: East Surrey - General election results 2024 . 2024-08-08 . BBC News . en-GB.
  35. Web site: UK politics live: Lord Cameron resigns as Rishi Sunak announces interim shadow cabinet . 2024-07-08 . BBC News . en-GB.
  36. News: Henry . Zeffman . Georgina . Rannard . Kate . Whannel . Claire Coutinho: Who is the new energy secretary? . BBC News . 31 August 2023 . 31 August 2023 . 9 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231009113553/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66669995 . live.
  37. News: Daniel . Martin . Ben . Riley-Smith . Could Sunak ally Coutinho rip up the net zero playbook? . The Daily Telegraph . 1 September 2023. 5.
  38. Web site: No evidence for energy secretary's claim that Labour is 'relaxed' about taxing meat. Asl. Nasim. Full Fact. 3 October 2023. 28 October 2023. 28 October 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231028115729/https://fullfact.org/news/claire-coutinho-labour-meat-tax/. live.
  39. News: Kate . Whannel. Energy secretary Claire Coutinho defends government's climate record . BBC News . 21 April 2024.
  40. Web site: 31 August 2023. Claire Coutinho, new UK energy secretary, has distinct shades of green. 10 November 2023. Politico. 10 November 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231110185914/https://www.politico.eu/article/new-uk-energy-secretary-has-distinct-shades-of-green/. live.
  41. News: Stewart. Heather. 1 September 2023. Claire Coutinho: Sunak loyalist will walk a fine green line as energy secretary. The Guardian. 10 November 2023. 0261-3077. 2 September 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230902014603/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/sep/01/claire-coutinho-rishi-sunak-loyalist-energy-secretary. live.
  42. Web site: Orders for 15 September 2023. Privy Council Office. 18 September 2023. 19 September 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230919104111/https://privycouncil.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-09-15-List-of-Business.pdf. live.

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