About Karen

About Karen Bradley

Karen was born in the Moorlands and spent her early years in Cheddleton. She moved to Buxton, in neighbouring Derbyshire, when her parents took over the family pub, the Queens Head. Growing up over the pub has given her a unique introduction to people from all walks of life. Karen lives in Leek and is married with two young sons.

Karen attended the local comprehensive, Buxton Girls School, before going on to gain a BSc Hons in Mathematics from Imperial College London.

After university she qualified as a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser and has nearly 20 years' experience working for major accounting firms or as a self-employed tax and economics consultant. In that time, Karen has advised many different businesses, from multi-nationals to local farms. 

Karen was a relative latecomer to active politics, describing herself as a "couch Conservative" until 2002. Then she was seconded by her employer at the time to work as a technical adviser to the Shadow Treasury Team led by Michael Howard.

She well and truly caught the politics bug when she saw the positive difference she could make through Parliament and threw herself into active campaigning.

Prior to the 2005 General Election, Karen worked in the Conservative Policy Unit, helping to develop economic and fiscal policies, particularly those aimed at removing unnecessary regulation and red tape.

Karen cut her general election teeth fighting the Parliamentary seat of Manchester Withington in 2005.  She was selected as the candidate for Staffordshire Moorlands in July 2006 and was returned as MP four years later at the General Election on 6th May 2010, with a majority of 6,689: a swing of 5.7% from Labour.

Karen is a member of the House of Commons Select Committee on Work and Pensions and Vice-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Maternity.

When she is not working in Parliament or the constituency, campaigning for the interests of people in Staffordshire Moorlands or looking after her children, Karen enjoys experimenting with new recipes and reading detective fiction. She is also keen on travel, although her long haul days have been seriously curtailed recently.