Jacqueline Anne Harkness Lait (born 16 December 1947) is a British Conservative Party politician and former Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituencies of Hastings and Rye (1992–1997) and Beckenham (1997–2010).
[citation needed] Lait was a candidate for Strathclyde West for the 1984 European elections and the following year stood in the by-election for Tyne Bridge where she finished in third place behind David Clelland and Rod Kenyon.
[citation needed] Lait won the Hastings and Rye seat in the 1992 general election and in 1996 became the first female Conservative Whip.
Upon the election of the new Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith in September 2001, Lait was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland.
[3] Lait is married to Peter Jones, former leader of East Sussex County Council.