Sports minister the PM put in charge of tackling loneliness

TRACEY Crouch, 42, has been named as the minister for loneliness, which she combines with her role as minister for civil society and sport.

She grew up in Kent before attending the University of Hull where she studied law and politics, hoping to become a solicitor. However, she began working as a researcher for a Tory MP before working in public relations where she held several roles, including head of public affairs for Aviva.

She was then elected as the MP for Chatham and Aylesford in 2010 – becoming the first Conservative to win the seat.

Despite having always wanted to be Sports Minister, the FA-qualified football coach was hesitant to accept the role when David Cameron offered it to her after the election in 2015.

She told him she had had a miscarriage during the election campaign, then aged 40, that had ‘changed my priorities in life’.

Later in 2015 she revealed she was expecting a child and became the first Tory minister to announce she would take maternity leave.

She was also the first minister ever to use the shared paternal leave arrangements introduced by the Coalition government, and shared time off with her partner, Steve Ladner.