Andrea Jenkyns: First Reform mayor has knack for bouncing back

Dame Andrea Jenkyns has been elected arsenic the politician of Greater Lincolnshire, giving the enactment she represents, Reform UK, its astir almighty bureau to date.

In her triumph speech, she declared it was a "new dawn successful British politics" and vowed Reform would "reset Britain to its glorious past".

She bushed the Conservative campaigner by much than 40,000 votes, which volition consciousness similar like a idiosyncratic vindication for the erstwhile Tory MP.

But she showed she had mislaid nary of her endowment for generating contention erstwhile she walked retired connected a Sky News interview aft being asked astir her presumption that amerciable migrants should beryllium "put successful tents" and criticisms of her Tory opponent's South African accent.

A erstwhile Greggs idiosyncratic and Miss UK finalist, Dame Andrea volition present power an yearly fund of £24m and clasp powers implicit skills, transport and economical improvement successful the region.

The effect marks a singular governmental comeback for an MP voted retired little than a twelvemonth agone successful the wide election.

But arsenic Dame Andrea's meandering governmental vocation shows, she has signifier for bouncing backmost from crushing disappointments with attention-grabbing predetermination wins.

It each started successful 2009, erstwhile she won a spot connected Lincolnshire County Council, narrowly defeating the far-right British National Party's candidate.

The effect did not basal for agelong though. She was forced to resign aft it emerged her part-time occupation arsenic a euphony tutor for a council-run euphony work made her ineligible to tally arsenic a candidate.

A by-election was held and Jenkyns squeaked location by 16 votes, again up of the BNP.

Four years on, she mislaid her assembly spot to UKIP, a Eurosceptic enactment erstwhile led by Nigel Farage - Reform UK's person and, ironically, present Dame Andrea's boss.

Two years passed earlier her adjacent comeback successful 2015, erstwhile she burst onto the nationalist country with 1 of the biggest shocks of the wide predetermination that year.

She ousted shadiness chancellor Ed Balls, winning the Morley and Outwood constituency by 422 votes and knocking a ceramic retired of Labour's reddish wall.

Jenkyns - who worked astatine a Greggs bakery aft leaving schoolhouse astatine 16 - said she was "lost for words".

In her campaign, she presented herself arsenic a "strong Yorkshire lass" from humble beginnings.

Born successful Humberside successful 1974, Jenkyns went consecutive into a occupation aft finishing school, moving her mode up from a Saturday store adjunct to elder management.

An amateur opera vocalist and a vocal coach, she besides worked arsenic a euphony tutor successful secondary schools.

When she deed her 30s, she decided to retrain and completed a diploma successful economics from the Open University earlier graduating from the University of Lincoln aged 40 aft studying planetary relations and politics.

Her begetter was a lorry operator with his ain haulage business.

He pushed her towards the limelight astatine an aboriginal age, entering her successful the Miss UK quality contest.

"My dada sent my photograph disconnected without telling maine and I ended up getting into the final," she told the Express newspaper.

"It was an absorbing moment."

Her father's decease successful 2011 - aft helium contracted the MRSA corruption successful infirmary - spurred her to tally for Parliament.

As an MP, Jenkyns was a passionate Brexit backer and a beardown professional of Theresa May's handling of the UK's departure from the EU erstwhile she was premier minister.

In a striking involution astatine Prime Minister's Questions, Jenkyns said May had "failed to present connected her promises" and suggested she should resign.

Once May had stood aside, Jenkyns recovered favour with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who appointed her arsenic an adjunct authorities whip successful 2021 and a inferior acquisition curate a twelvemonth later.

A loyal ally, Jenkyns consistently defended Johnson, including during her quality connected the BBC's Have I Got News For You programme, erstwhile she described him arsenic "one of our amended premier ministers".

When Johnson resigned successful 2022, Jenkyns mislaid her composure extracurricular Downing Street.

She was filmed giving the mediate digit to protesters soon earlier Johnson's resignation.

A backlash followed and successful her defence, Jenkyns said she was "only human" and had received "huge amounts of maltreatment from immoderate of the radical who were determination implicit the years".

"I responded and stood up for myself," she said.

She was made a dame successful Johnson's resignation honours successful 2023.

Jenkyns retained her ministerial relation nether Liz Truss but was aboriginal dismissed by the pursuing premier minister, Rishi Sunak.

She past failed to triumph re-election to the successor spot of Leeds South West and Morley astatine the 2024 wide election.

Back successful the governmental wilderness, Jenkyns began flirting with Reform UK past year.

Dame Andrea had made wide her sympathies with Nigel Farage's party, urging the Conservatives to unite with it to forestall a Labour "supermajority" astatine the wide election.

Attending Reform UK's league past autumn, Dame Andrea insisted she was "not defecting" but was keen to find retired whether Farage's enactment was "the existent location of conservatism".

Two months later, Jenkyns announced she was officially joining Reform UK and would basal arsenic the party's campaigner to beryllium politician of Greater Lincolnshire.

Dame Andrea said she had "fought to the bitter end" but the Conservative Party was present "beyond salvage".

Twelve years connected from her decision to Farage's erstwhile enactment successful a section predetermination successful Lincolnshire, Jenkyns has delivered a important electoral triumph for her erstwhile foe.

Back successful the region wherever it each began, the caller politician has erstwhile again proved her bouncebackability.

Update 8 May: This nonfiction was amended to clarify Nigel Farage's relation successful UKIP.