Anna Soubry
A staunchly pro-European Conservative MP whose principles led her to break with her party in the tumult of Brexit.
Born 1956 (age 70)·British politician, barrister and journalist·Birthday: December 7·Baby Boomers
Biography
Anna Soubry carved a distinctive path in British politics, defined by a blunt, no-nonsense style honed during her earlier careers as a barrister and television journalist. Elected as a Conservative MP for Broxtowe in 2010, she served as a minister under David Cameron but found her political identity fundamentally at odds with her party's direction following the 2016 EU referendum. A passionate believer in Britain's place in Europe, she became one of the most vocal Conservative rebels, a familiar face on news broadcasts arguing for a second referendum. The internal conflict reached its peak in 2019 when she and several colleagues left the Conservatives to form The Independent Group, later Change UK, a dramatic move that cost her seat in the subsequent election. Her career stands as a vivid chapter in the story of Brexit, highlighting the deep personal and political fractures it created.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Anna was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Anna Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Anna's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the Member of Parliament for Broxtowe from 2010 to 2019.
- Held ministerial roles as Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans and later as Minister for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise.
- Co-founded The Independent Group (Change UK) after leaving the Conservative Party in 2019.
Did You Know?
Before politics, she was a reporter for ITV's Central News and BBC's *Newsnight*.
She trained as a barrister and was called to the bar at Gray's Inn.
She publicly supported the UK remaining in the European Union during the 2016 referendum.
“Politics is about the art of the possible, not the purity of the ideal.”
