the chair of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service ( CAFCASS )
What position did Edward Timpson take from Dec 2019 to Dec 2020?
Edward Timpson Anthony Edward Timpson ( born 26 December 1973 ) is a British Conservative Party politician who was elected as the Member of Parliament ( MP ) for Eddisbury in Cheshire at the 2019 general election . He was previously MP for neighbouring Crewe and Nantwich , winning a 2008 by-election and retaining the seat until the 2017 general election when he lost to the Labour Party candidate , Laura Smith , by 48 votes . Timpson was Minister of State for Children and Families after the 2015 general election , having been promoted from Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Education . Early life . Timpson was born in Knutsford , Cheshire , in 1973 . His father , Sir William John Anthony Timpson , is the chairman and owner of the Timpson chain of shoe repair and key-cutting shops , which has been in the family for five generations and has over 1000 stores in the UK and Ireland . Timpson grew up with a brother , sister and over 80 children fostered by his parents . He was educated at Pownall Hall School , Alderley Edge County Primary School , Stockport Grammar Junior School , Terra Nova School and Uppingham School . He then attended Durham University ( Hatfield College ) , where he gained a BA ( Hons ) in Politics . He converted this to a law degree ( LLB ) at the College of Law in London . Timpson became a barrister in 1998 ; since 1999 , he has practised in Chester as a family law barrister . Political career . First years in the Commons . In July 2007 , Timpson was selected as the Conservative candidate for the Crewe and Nantwich constituency , an area which had been represented by the Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody since 1974 . After Dunwoody died in April 2008 , a by-election was called for May 2008 . In the run-up to the by-election , Timpson was the target of a toff campaign by Labour , which attempted to paint him as a rich man who would not understand the problems that people face day-to-day in contrast to their candidate , Gwyneth Dunwoodys daughter Tamsin Dunwoody . The Conservative campaign focused on local issues , such as crime and antisocial behaviour , closure of post offices and problems at Leighton Hospital , where two women in labour were turned away , as well as national issues - referring to Dunwoody as Gordon Browns candidate and capitalising on dissatisfaction with the Labour government , in particular the removal of the 10% tax rate . On 22 May 2008 , Timpson was elected MP , gaining 20,539 votes ( 49% of the vote ) , a swing from Labour of 17.6% . This was the Conservatives first gain in a by-election since 1982 . He made his maiden speech in the House of Commons on 16 June 2008 . Timpson served on the Joint Committee on Human Rights and the Children , Schools and Families Select Committee . He is a Vice-President of Conservative Friends of Poland . 2010 to 2017 . Following his re-election on 7 May 2010 , Timpson was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary of Theresa May , the Home Secretary . He was appointed as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families at the Department for Education in September 2012 . Timpson was named Minister of the Year in 2014 for pushing through reforms increasing the age of leaving foster care from 18 to 21 , an initiative he had originally championed as a backbench committee chair . He credited his childhood experiences of living with a large family of fostered children . He was re-elected in Crewe and Nantwich at the 2015 general election . On 11 May 2015 , four days later , David Cameron announced he would become Minister of State for Children and Families at the Department for Education . Timpson voted for Remain in the 2016 EU membership referendum . He lost his seat at the 2017 general election by 48 votes after three recounts . Work from 2017 to 2019 . Timpson went on to author a review into education , looking at school exclusions , off-rolling and Special Educational Needs ( SEN ) students . In 2018 , Timpson was appointed as the chair of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service ( CAFCASS ) , for the term from April 2018 to April 2021 , succeeding Baroness Tyler of Enfield . Return to Parliament . Having lost his former seat of Crewe and Nantwich in 2017 , Timpson was successfully selected as the Conservative Partys candidate for the neighbouring seat Eddisbury in the 2019 general election . He defeated Antoinette Sandbach ( formerly a Conservative MP who was suspended from the party and then defected to the Liberal Democrats ) . His former seat also went back to the Conservatives . Personal life . In June 2002 , Timpson married Julia Helen Still in south Cheshire . The couple have a son and three daughters . He has completed 15 marathons , including the New York City Marathon in 2007 and the London Marathon in 2008 , raising over £15,000 . His recreations are listed in Whos Who as football ( watching and playing ) , cricket , marathon running , travel , playing with my children . External links . - Edward Timpson MP official website - Edward Timpson profile on Conservative Party website - BBC Politics page - BBC EU Referendum page