A born and raised West Cumbrian, Trudy and her family now live in Bootle. She started her career at Sellafield working across the site in a variety of roles including Separation and Waste Retrieval and Decommissioning.
The decline of village life in Bootle motivated Trudy’s interest in local politics, joining the Parish Council in 2006 and later securing the position of regeneration officer at Copeland Borough Council in 2010. She combined full-time work, her role in the community and being a mum of four with a part-time Foundation Degree at the University of Salford, studying Sustainable Communities. She worked on the Bootle2020 Programme – a programme of activities aiming to breathe new life into Bootle for future generations supported by private investors.
In February 2017, Trudy was elected as Copeland’s first female and first Conservative MP and was re-elected in General Elections in 2017 and 2019.
Trudy has held a number of parliamentary roles across Education and Transport and in September 2022 was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as Minister for Natural Environment and Land Use with responsibilities for domestic natural environment, wildlife and land use; climate change adaptation; tree planting and forestry ;landscapes, including National Parks and AONBs; access including rights of way and coastal paths and the lead for Natural England, the Forestry Commission and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC)
