London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Exclusive: Women’s Minister tells how she looked after herself age 16

Exclusive: Women’s Minister tells how she looked after herself age 16

EXCLUSIVE: ‘You have to survive. It is very much that survival instinct.’

The Minister for Women today spoke out about how she had to look after herself at the age of 16 following a family breakdown.

In a candid interview with the Standard, Elizabeth Berridge talked about her life as a teenager living in “appalling” housing with slugs in the fridge.

Baroness Berridge made the comments in a wide-ranging interview ahead of International Women’s Day on Monday.

Describing her background, which sets her apart from many of her Conservative Party colleagues, she talked about having “no money”, facing homelessness before her A-Levels and how the opportunities she was given at key moments made her want to help others.

The 48-year-old Tory peer said: “I was out of home, just after I was 16. So I self-supported myself. I was a very adept silver service waitress.

“I worked my way through my sixth form years until I was informally fostered when I was 18.”

The state-educated minister said she had no social life as a sixth former working and studying, adding: “It was that survival. I knew that I was brainy and that was my avenue out, so I just devoted myself to getting these grades to get to this place called Oxbridge.

“I knew then that I would survive so it was very much that survival thing with a lot of support from people around me.

“The accommodation I lived in was, when I look back, appalling. The condensation froze on the inside of the windows.

“I didn't have instant hot water, I had to put an immersion heater on. It was a granny annex place, it was so damp that slugs lived in my fridge because the seal was broken.

“It was just hideous. But it was mine and I was safe. I was 16.

“My sixth form years were very atypical. I babysat, I waited tables and so that’s how I got through. I got a little bit of support from my mum, but not enough to pay the bills.”

Asked how she came to be in that situation, she replied: “The family situation broke down. If I look at it now, I should have been known for quite a few years to social services.

“But we were rural, things like this don't happen in nice middle class areas like Rutland – was part of the attitude.

“And I was well fed, I didn't present like that. So I skirted that, but by the time everything was there it was too late. I set up a meeting with them and they said you just need to go find yourself somewhere live. So that's what I did.”

Baroness Berridge lodged at first with a friend’s great aunt while sitting her GCSEs and during sixth form she rented an annex on a garage.

Baroness Berridge spoke candidly about her background


She added: “You have to survive. It is very much that survival instinct. I knew if I apply myself, this is my way out to survival.”

Baroness Berridge said a sixth form tutor sat her down and told her she would get into Oxbridge if applied herself. Later, when she was at Cambridge University studying law, a tutor encouraged her to apply for a scholarship to become a barrister.

Baroness Berridge made the comments when she was asked what drove her in the job. She added: “I want young women particularly to have the opportunities I had and it’s challenged me to think about the networks I have and am I connecting people.

“How am I using where I am to help other people come in behind me, that’s really what drives me. I realise I am in a very privileged place.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×