Miller joined the Conservative Party in 1983 and contested
Wolverhampton North East at the
2001 general election but was defeated by the sitting
Labour MP,
Ken Purchase. She retained formal links with the local Conservative Association for some time thereafter; she also
chaired the
Wimbledon Association for a year from 2002. On 4 September 2012, Miller was appointed
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and
Minister for Women and Equality in
David Cameron's first major Cabinet reshuffle. She chaired the
Women and Equalities Select Committee from when it was established in June 2015 to January 2020. Miller stepped down from the role in 2019 and
Caroline Nokes (Conservative MP for Romsey and Southampton North) was nominated and elected as the new chair. Miller was opposed to Brexit prior to the
2016 referendum. In March 2020 she became a member of both the
Administration Committee and the
Panel of Chairs, and in November 2020 joined the Joint Committee on the
Fixed-Term Parliaments Act. Miller was appointed
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the
2022 Birthday Honours for parliamentary and public service. From May 2022 to July 2024 she served in the voluntary role of
Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy to Canada. In addition, she served as Chairman of the
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (UK Branch).
Same-sex marriage Maria Miller in her role as the
Minister for Women and Equalities,
Secretary of State announced on 11 December 2012 that the government would bring forward same-sex marriage legislation for England and Wales in early 2013. The government's equal civil marriage consultation was launched on 15 March 2012. It ran for 13 weeks and closed on 14 June 2012. It received more than 228,000 individual responses, the largest ever response to a government consultation, the majority of which were in favour of the Government's proposal to allow same-sex couples to get married. Additionally there were petitions for and against equal marriage, the largest of which was from the Coalition for Marriage, against the proposals. In response to the consultation results, the proposals were extended to allow religious organisations to opt into performing same-sex marriages if they wish, and a "quadruple-lock" of additional measures to put the protection of religious freedoms "utterly beyond doubt".
Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill was introduced to the Commons by Maria Miller on 24 January 2013 followed by second reading on 5 February. On 5 February 2013, the bill passed its second reading in the
House of Commons by 400 votes to 175. The bill was examined in 13 sittings by the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill Committee, a
public bill committee established to scrutinise the bill line by line. The bill completed its
committee stage on 12 March 2013 and had its report stage in the House of Commons on 20–21 May 2013. The third reading took place on 21 May, and was approved by 366 votes to 161, with the bill receiving its first reading in the
House of Lords the same evening. The bill had its second reading unopposed in the Lords on 4 June, after a "
wrecking amendment" proposed by
Lord Dear was defeated by a vote of 390–148, thus allowing the bill to proceed to the committee stage. The bill passed its third reading in the House of Lords on 15 July 2013, and the Commons accepted all of the Lords' amendments on the following day, with
royal assent by Queen
Elizabeth II granted on 17 July 2013. On 10 December 2013, Miller announced that same-sex marriage ceremonies would begin on 29 March 2014 in England and Wales.
Revenge pornography Miller ran a six month campaign in 2014 for a change in the law when she was contacted by one of her Basingstoke constituents who had been affected by "revenge porn" being posted online. Miller campaigned to change the law and make posting online revenge pornography a crime. The existing law predated the digital age and did not adequately protect individuals from this type of online abuse. The Criminal Justice and Courts Act received Royal Assent on 16 February 2015, making revenge pornography illegal, punishable by up to two years in prison.
Expenses claims In December 2012,
The Daily Telegraph reported that, between 2005 and 2009, Miller had claimed over £90,000 in
parliamentary expenses for the mortgage and upkeep of a house in south London where she lived with her parents. She was subsequently reported to Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
John Lyon by MP
John Mann, and an inquiry was launched into the claims. Miller explained that her parents lived with her as "dependents" under
Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority rules. Shortly after the
Telegraph broke the story on Miller's expenses, it emerged that both Cameron's spokesman,
Craig Oliver, and Miller's special advisor, Joanna Hindley, had phoned the newspaper prior to publication in an attempt to warn it off. According to the paper, the pair issued a veiled threat by reminding it of Miller's role in enacting proposals in the
Leveson report on press regulation. Downing Street denied that any threats were made. The newspaper later released the recording they had made of Hindley's call. Investigation lasted more than a year, and was handed in to the
Commons Select Committee on Standards in February 2014. In it, the standards commissioner had concluded Miller had been in the wrong, and recommended she pay back £45,000. On 3 April 2014, however, the Standards Committee concluded "recommended that Mrs Miller repay the £5,800 which she has identified as an overclaim. She should also apologise by personal statement on the floor of the House for her attitude to the Commissioner's inquiries" Following poor advice from the then Chief Whip,
George Young, she made a 32-second Commons statement the same day. The case was referred to the police by MP
Thomas Docherty. On 9 April 2014, Miller resigned from the cabinet.
David Cameron, expressed "sadness" over her stepping down, and said he hoped she would be able to return to the front bench "in due course". == Post-parliamentary career ==