Bottomley, Virginia Hilda Brunette Maxwell (1948– )

British Conservative politician, national heritage secretary 1995–97. In a cabinet reshuffle in July 1995 she was moved from the high-profile health secretary post to the department of national heritage. As health secretary 1992–95 she oversaw a radical restructuring of, and cutbacks in, the National Health Service in the name of increased efficiency and competitiveness.

Before entering Parliament she was a magistrate and psychiatric social worker. She became a member of Parliament for Surrey Southwest in 1984. As an MP she became parliamentary private secretary to Chris Patten, then to Geoffrey Howe, and was made a junior environment minister in 1988. Her husband, Peter Bottomley (1944– ), is Conservative MP for Worthing West.