# Andrea Leadsom

Andrea Jacqueline Leadsom (born 13 May 1963) is a British Conservative politician. She was the Secretary of State for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy from July 2019 to February 2020. Previously, Leadsom was the Leader of the House of Commons from 2017 to 2019, the Secretary of State for Environment Food and Rural Affairs from 2016 to 2017 and the Minister of State for Energy from 2015 to 2016. She was MP for South Northamptonshire from the 2010 to 2024 general elections.

## Quotes
### 2009

* If the government has any courage, it will punish those at the top of failed banks. Accountability is critical in every area of human endeavour – there has to be a penalty for failure otherwise it's only a matter of time before the economic pain our banks have caused to so many innocent businesses and home owners is forgotten
** Written on her blog in 2009. Quoted by Buzzfeed News. 31 Things We Learned From Reading A Decade's Worth Of Blog Posts By Andrea Leadsom (9 July 2016)

### 2012

* The absolute, top priority ... is to get our economy going again, and nowhere more so than in the very small business sector.
** Said in 2012. Quoted on A Fairer Society website. 5 Thoughts Of Andrea Leadsom – Number 1 Scrap The Minimum Wage (9 July 2016)
* I envisage there being absolutely no regulation whatsoever—no minimum wage, no maternity or paternity rights, no unfair dismissal rights, no pension rights—for the smallest companies that are trying to get off the ground, in order to give them a chance.
** Said in 2012. Quoted on A Fairer Society website. 5 Thoughts Of Andrea Leadsom – Number 1 Scrap The Minimum Wage (9 July 2016)

### 2013

* I wholeheartedly believe that same-sex couples have as valid a relationship with their partner as do heterosexuals. I also believe that in the eyes of the state we all deserve to be treated equally
** Written on her blog on 6 February 2013. Quoted by Buzzfeed News. 31 Things We Learned From Reading A Decade's Worth Of Blog Posts By Andrea Leadsom (9 July 2016)

### 2016

* But as I say, sterling has really not moved since the prime minister announced the starting gun for the referendum. So my best expectation, with my 30 years of financial experience, is that there will not be an economic impact.
** Said in an interview with Buzzfeed News. Brexit Would Have No Impact On UK Economy, Says Andrea Leadsom (20 June 2016)
* What is so weird about Tony [Blair] is that when he is speaking, it's almost hypnotic – you start to just accept what he is saying, and like Mowgli when he was being hypnotised by Kaa the python in Jungle Book, you have to kick yourself out of it.
** Written in a blog post, date unknown. Quoted by Buzzfeed News. 31 Things We Learned From Reading A Decade's Worth Of Blog Posts By Andrea Leadsom (9 July 2016)

### 2018

* the UK cannot be trapped in a permanent customs arrangement
** Brexit: UK must not be trapped in customs union - Leadsom BBC News (17 November 2018)

### 2019

* We are clear we won't be delaying Article 50. We won't be revoking it.
** Chancellor hints at Article 50 delay BBC News (16 January 2019)
* I think it is right that government should have passed legislation that requires that relationships and sex education is taught in schools, but at the same time, I also agree that it is right that parents should be able to choose the moment at which their children become exposed to that information
** Quoted by the Independent. Conservative minister Andrea Leadsom says parents should be allowed to prevent children being 'exposed' to LGBT+ rights classes (20 March 2019)
* I do not believe that we will be a truly sovereign United Kingdom through the deal that is now proposed
** Written in her resignation letter to Theresa May. Commons leader Andrea Leadsom quits government over Brexit BBC News (22 May 2019)
* There will be no second referendums on my watch - not on Scottish independence and not on EU membership.
** Said in a tweet. Quoted by the BBC. Indyref2: Tory candidate Andrea Leadsom says 'never say never' (11 June 2019)
* You can’t block no deal. You can’t put into law that you can’t leave without a deal.
** Quoted in the Independent. John Bercow and MPs cannot block no-deal Brexit, says Andrea Leadsom (11 June 2019)
* In all circumstances we are leaving the European Union on 31 October
** Brexit: Tory leadership rivals split over Brexit deadline BBC News (11 June 2019)

## External links

* Official site