chair

Sheryll Murray MP

Sheryll was born and lives in the village of Millbrook, Cornwall with her husband Bob and has two grown up children. She is the widow of a fisherman and was very involved in the running of the family business. She is a former Secretary of the Looe Fishermen’s Protection Society, Director of the Fishermen’s Association Ltd., Chairman of a Fish Producer Organisation and Secretary of the Plymouth Sea Safety Group. She has also represented the UK at EU meetings on Fishing Safety and women in fisheries conferences and been a Member of the Seafish Training Board Southwest. She has been a Member of Cornwall Sea Fisheries Committee and a Member of the Fishing Industry Safety Group.

In Parliament she has been the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and currently sits on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.

VICE CHAIR

Rt Hon Alistair Carmichael MP

Alistair Carmichael has served as Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland since 2001. He was brought up on the island of Islay, and his connection to island tradition gives him a strong belief in the power of communities to decide their own futures. Fishing remains central to the islands’ economy, and as a result he takes a proactive interest in fisheries policy.

TREASURER

dAVID dUGUID mp

David Duguid is the Member of Parliament for Banff and Buchan since his election in 2017. Fisheries is a key industry in David’s constituency and a large part of the heritage and culture of Banff and Buchan’s coastal communities. David was born and grew up in the constituency, and he regularly meets with and represents the interests of local fisherman and industry officials. David is proud that Peterhead and Fraserburgh, the two largest towns in Banff and Buchan, are also two of the largest fishing ports in Europe. David’s professional background prior to Parliament was in the global energy sector.

Peter Aldous MP

Peter Aldous is the Member of Parliament for the Waveney constituency in North Suffolk and has been the MP since being elected in the 2010 General Election. He was born in Ipswich and has lived in North Suffolk most of his life. Before entering Parliament, he helped look after the family pig and arable farm outside Halesworth and worked as a Chartered Surveyor in Norwich and Ipswich.

Liz Saville Roberts MP

Liz Saville Roberts has served as MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd since May 2015, and is also parliamentary leader for Plaid Cymru. She lives in the village of Morfa Nefyn, which holds a strong maritime tradition and is home to a number of in-shore commercial fishing ventures. She champions Wales’ fishing fleet, some of whom are her own family members.

Martin Vickers MP

Martin was born and raised in Cleethorpes, being educated locally at Havelock School and Grimsby College. He is passionate about his hometown and surrounding area and served 26 years as a councillor, including six years as the Cabinet Member for Environmental Services.

Martin was elected as Member of Parliament for the constituency of Cleethorpes in May 2010. Since then, he has been a member of the Transport Select Committee and is now a member of the Health and Social Care Committee. Further to this, Martin chairs several All Party Parliamentary Groups: the APPG for Freeports, APPG for Rail, APPG for Oil Refining and the APPGs for Kosovo and North Macedonia as well as playing a leading role in a number of other All Party Groups.

lia nici MP

Lia was born and raised in Grimsby, and has lived there for most of her life, apart from her years at University. She worked as a college lecturer in media studies in what is now Grimsby Institute. Subsequently she became a self-employed video producer and project manager. She was elected as a Councillor on North East Lincolnshire Council in May 2018.

Lia was elected as Member of Parliament for Great Grimsby in December 2019, and has already been elected to the Backbench Business Committee. Lia wants to ensure that the Grimsby fishing industry benefits from the UK leaving the EU.

angus brendan macneil mp

Angus Brendan was born and raised on the Island of Barra where he is still an active crofter. In 2005 he was elected MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Western Isles) which holds a significant fishing community. Angus has worked on fishing boats twice, both in 1995 and 2003.

 Angus has lobbied the Home Office tirelessly for many years to allow visas for non-EU fishermen to come and work in the fishing communities throughout Scotland. During his time in Parliament he has served as Chairman of the Energy and  Climate Change Select Committee and Chairman of the International Trade Select Committee.

dr philippa whitford MP

Originally from Belfast, Philippa moved to Scotland at the age of 10 and went on to study Medicine at Glasgow University. Prior to her election to Parliament, Philippa spent over 30 years working as a Surgeon in the NHS.

Philippa became actively involved in politics during the campaign for Scotland’s Independence. In 2015, she won her constituency of Central Ayrshire and was re-elected in June 2017 and again in December 2019. Philippa is the Shadow Health and Shadow Europe Spokesperson for the SNP at Westminster and has been particularly vociferous on the impact of Brexit on health as well as other sectors, including fishing.

caroline ansell MP

Caroline Ansell is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Eastbourne & Willingdon. She was born in the 70’s, the youngest of four daughters, to Scottish parents. Caroline has experience in local government and was Deputy Opposition Leader for Eastbourne Borough Council – but her professional background is in education, qualifying for school headship in 2008.

A shock diagnosis for one of her three young sons changed, she said, “the course of my life and – ultimately – brought me to Parliament.” First elected to represent her home town in 2015, Caroline was re-elected in the 2019 General Election.

Caroline is passionate about people and providing opportunities for each and every person to realise their potential, play a full part in the community and enjoy life.

Chris Loder MP

Chris Loder was elected to Parliament in December 2019 for his home seat of West Dorset. Son of fourth generation tenant beef farmers, he spent a twenty-year career on the railways, finishing as Head of New Trains at South Western Railway before he became an MP. Fishing is an important industry for Chris’ constituents in West Dorset, particularly in the coastal town of Lyme Regis on the beautiful Jurassic Coast.

Luke Pollard MP

Luke Pollard was elected as the Member of Parliament for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport in 2017. He has served as Labour’s Shadow Fisheries Minister and Shadow Environment Secretary. Luke has successfully campaigned to prevent delayed tasking of lifeboats to missing fishing boats, and for greater safety measures for the fishing sector. He is a regular on the quayside in Plymouth and he proposed the creation of the UK’s first National Marine Park in Plymouth Sound that was designated in 2019.

LORD TEVERSON

Robin Teverson is a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords and regularly speaks on fisheries. He lives in Cornwall which he represented with Plymouth as an MEP in the 1990s. He was a member of the Fisheries Committee in Strasbourg/Brussels, and currently chairs the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Nature Partnership.