Julie Marson

Julie Marson (born 23 March 1965) is the former Member of Parliament for Hertford and Stortford. She served as an Assistant Government Whip from October 2022 to November 2023, having previously held the office from July to September 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, she also served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment between July 2022 and September 2022. She was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hertford and Stortford in the 2019 general election. She was defeated at the 2024 United Kingdom general election, with Labour Party (UK)'s Josh Dean elected as the new MP.

Early life and career
Marson was born in Barking, London and previously worked in finance. She was educated at Woodford County High School for Girls and Downing College, Cambridge. Prior to becoming an MP, she worked in corporate banking for NatWest.

Political career
Marson was previously a councillor on Thanet District Council in Kent, representing the Viking ward from 2011 to 2015. She has also served as a magistrate.

She contested the Labour-held East London seat of Dagenham and Rainham at the 2015 general election, finishing in third place. She stood again two years later, at the 2017 snap election, this time finishing in second place and increasing her vote share by 16%.

On 24 October 2019, the Hertford and Stortford Conservative Association chose Marson to succeed the incumbent MP Mark Prisk as their candidate in what has generally been considered a safe seat for the Conservative Party. At the general election on 12 December 2019, Marson was elected as the MP for Hertford and Stortford, with a majority of over 19,000.

After the 2022 government crisis, she was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment. She answered her first questions as a minister in the House of Commons on 11 July.

In April 2023, she failed to be automatically reselected for the 2024 general election by her local party executive following a vote. After a ballot of party members she was reselected.

Political positions
Marson supported Leave in the 2016 referendum on EU membership.

On 8 June 2020, she called for a global ban on wet markets.

Later that month, Marson called for LGBT+ conversion therapy to be banned, labelling it "morally and medically wrong."

Marson has supported the Turn on the Subtitles campaign, raising it at Prime Minister's Questions.

On 21 October 2020, she voted against an Opposition Day Motion to extend free school meals in England until Easter 2021.

Marson has been criticised for helping to vote down Labour bills to stop sewage dumping in the River Stort and River Lea across the county.

Marson has supported initiatives promoting women in STEM and businesses.

Personal life
Marson lives in Kent and is married with a son. She also has a blonde cockapoo dog named Boris.