Parliamentary Career
In 1997 general election Kirkbride was elected MP of Bromsgrove, a seat which had consistently been Conservative since the 1970s. She was re-elected in 2001 election and 2005 election with over 50 percent of votes.
Julie Kirkbride was the Conservative spokesman on Culture, Media and Sport from 2003 to 2004, but was replaced in a reshuffle by the party leader at that time, Michael Howard.
On 10 November 2006, it was revealed that she had links with the Midlands Industrial Council, which has donated millions of pounds to the Conservative Party.
She stood down as a Member of Parliament prior to the 2010 general election, as a result of public anger over her expenses claims. In October 2010, after she had stood down, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards cleared her of any wrongdoing and dismissed the complaints against her.
Read more about this topic: Julie Kirkbride
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