Pippa Heylings

Phillippa Frances Heylings,^[2] known as Pippa Heylings, is a British politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for South Cambridgeshire since 2024. A member of the Liberal Democrats, she previously represented Histon and Impington on the South Cambridgeshire District Council from 2018 to 2024.^[3]

Pippa Heylings MP
Official portrait, 2024
Member of Parliament for South Cambridgeshire
Incumbent
Assumed office 4 July 2024
Preceded by	Anthony Browne
Majority	10,641 (19.0%)
Liberal Democrat portfolios
2024–present	Energy Security and Net Zero
Member of South Cambridgeshire District Council for Histon and Impington
In office 8 May 2018 – 5 September 2024
Personal details
Born	Phillippa Frances Heylings Kingston upon Hull, England[1]
Political party	Liberal Democrats
Alma mater	Rhodes University

Early life

Heylings was born in Kingston upon Hull,^[1] her mother a nurse and her father a GP, and grew up with three brothers. In 1997, Heylings graduated from Rhodes University in South Africa with a master's degree in environmental education.^[4]

Parliamentary career

Heylings was elected as MP for South Cambridgeshire at the 2024 general election. She won 25,704 votes (46.8%), with a majority of 10,641 over the second-placed Conservative candidate. There were six candidates and a turnout of 71%.^[5] Following the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the constituency's boundaries had changed, so that the 2024 seat was made up of parts of the previous South Cambridgeshire constituency (67.4% by area and 72.2% by population of the new seat), South East Cambridgeshire (31.9% by area and 18.8% by population) and Cambridge (0.7% by area and 9.0% by population).^[6] The notional 2019 result for the new seat was a narrow Conservative win over Liberal Democrat (43.5% to 41.0%),^[7] and Heylings's result in the new seat was described as a Liberal Democrat gain from the Conservatives.^[5]

She gave her maiden speech on 26 July 2024,^[8] and resigned her seat on the South Cambridgeshire District Council a few months later. She was later appointed as the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Energy Security and Net Zero in September 2024.^[9]

In November 2024, Heylings voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which proposes to legalise assisted suicide, citing her reasons on her website.^[10]

Personal life

Heylings moved to Impington in the South Cambridgeshire District in 2012.^[11][12]