Helen Grant (politician)

Helen Grant (née Okuboye; born 28 September 1961) is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Maidstone and Malling, formerly Maidstone and The Weald, since 2010. A member of the Conservative Party, she succeeded Ann Widdecombe, who was first elected in 1987.

Grant was the first black woman of mixed heritage to be elected as a Conservative MP and selected as a candidate to stand for a Conservative-held parliamentary seat. She first served in government as jointly Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Women and Equalities (2012–2015) and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (2012–2013). She also became Minister of State for Sport and Tourism in 2013, a post she held until after the 2015 general election.

In January 2021, she was appointed as Special Envoy of Boris Johnson on Girls' Education. On 19 July 2026, Grant announced that she would be standing down at the next United Kingdom general election.