Oxford Law alumna Dr Marie Tidball wins Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year award

The Faculty of Law warmly congratulates Dr Marie Tidball on being named The Spectator magazine’s Parliamentarian of the Year 2025 in its annual awards.

Dr Tidball, who represents Penistone and Stocksbridge in the House of Commons, was recognised for her parliamentary campaigning on subjects including the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill (now the Universal Credit Act), and the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

An Oxford Law alumna at undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels, Dr Tidball completed her BA in Law and MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice, before being awarded her DPhil in 2017 for a thesis on autism and the criminal justice system, supervised by Professor Carolyn Hoyle. She was also the founding director and coordinator of the Oxford University Disability Law and Policy Project.

Reflecting on the award on social media, Dr Tidball said she was “utterly blown away” by the recognition, adding: “It is the privilege of my life to represent our communities across Penistone and Stocksbridge in parliament.”