Policy and Politics
Profiles of the new ministers at the Department for Education
Sarah Teather and Tim Loughton have the brief for children and families.
Sarah Teather is Minister for Children and Families
Sarah Teather, Minister of State for Children and Education, was formerly Shadow Minister for Housing for the Liberal Democrats since 2008 but also served as Shadow Secretary for Education and Skills in 2006.
She has been an MP for Brent East since September 2003 when she won a by-election in a swing from the Labour Party.
When elected to Parliament, Ms Teather was the youngest MP in Britain. Other positions she has held include Shadow Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills in 2007 and Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform from 2007 to 2008.
Tim Loughton, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families, was Shadow Children's Minister for the Conservative Party from 2007, and Shadow Health Minister from 2001 - 2007.
As Shadow Children's Minister he had responsibility for looked-after children, child protection, Special Education Needs, general well being, youth policy and the development of the party's National Citizen Service programme.
He was elected as an MP in 1997 for the constituency of East Worthing and Shoreham, and has served on the Children's Bill of 2004, the Childcare Bill of 2005 and the Children and Adoption Bills in 2001-2002 and in 2006.
