Margot Cathleen James (born 28 August 1957) is a British politician who served as Minister of State for Digital and Creative Industries from 2018 to 2019.

[4][5] After working for a consulting firm, in 1986 she co-founded Shire Health Group, a public relations and clinical trials organisation.

[9] In May 2006, James was elected a local councillor for the Brompton ward of Kensington & Chelsea,[10] becoming one of the Conservative Party's few "out" lesbian office holders.

[19] In January 2016, the Labour Party unsuccessfully proposed an amendment in Parliament that would have required private landlords to make their homes "fit for human habitation".

[20] According to Parliament's register of interests, James was one of 72 Conservative MPs who voted against the amendment who personally derived an income from renting out property.

[21][22] The Conservative Government had responded to the amendment that they believed homes should be fit for human habitation but did not want to pass the new law that would explicitly require it.

James served as Minister of State for Digital and the Creative Industries from 9 January 2018,[26] resigning on 18 July 2019 to vote against the Government on an amendment; rebelling in an attempt to prevent the prorogation of Parliament which could have been used to force through a no-deal Brexit.

[29][30] On 29 October 2019, she was one of ten Conservative MPs to have the whip restored,[31] but announced on 3 November her intention to stand down as an MP at the 2019 general election, following disagreements with her local party.