Philippa Roe was an exemplary Leader of Westminster City Council and a committed & hard-working ward Councillor for Knightsbridge & Belgravia has passed away. Let’s find out what happened to her and Philippa Roe cause of death in detail.
What happened to Philippa Roe?
Nickie Aiken, a Conservative member of parliament for the Cities of London and Westminster, confirmed Philippa Roe’s passing with much sadness, the statement reads,
I am incredibly sad to learn that my friend and former colleague, Philippa Roe, Baroness Couttie, has passed away after a heroic battle against cancer.
As Leader of Westminster City Council Philippa placed improving social housing through regeneration; improving skills and job creation at the heart of the council’s strategy. She also led the campaign to persuade the Coalition Government to introduce a 90 nights limit on short-term lets in the capital.
I will always be personally grateful for her friendship and support. When I was first diagnosed with my serious illness she provided me with the advice and support I needed. She was fundamental in my decision to stand to replace her as Council Leader when she stood down to enter the House of Lords. She encouraged me to stand and wouldn’t hear any excuses from me.
Phillippa was an outstanding public servant and Westminster is a better place to live because of her tenure as Council Leader. I have sent my deepest condolences to her family.
Statement on the death of Philippa Roe
Cllr Adam Hug, leader of Westminster City Council, said:
“The City of Westminster has lost an outstanding figure in Philippa Roe, a woman who led the authority with conviction and drive.
While on opposite sides of the chamber, we could disagree while finding a common purpose on the issues that mattered to residents – better housing, schools, and chances for young people.
In private she was unfailingly courteous and her commitment to the people of Westminster was clear. Her distinguished career in public service, which continued into the House of Lords, was proof of that dedication.
Our thoughts are with Philippa’s family and in due course, we will pay further official tribute to her life.”
Cllr Rachael Robathan, leader of Westminster City Council’s Conservative group, said:
“I knew Philippa Roe for many years before becoming a Knightsbridge and Belgravia ward colleague with her. There was a quiet and steely determination in Philippa.
She had left a very successful career in the City of London to serve the community of Westminster, and her business experience combined with a commitment to the community made her a formidable leader. Philippa’s style was collegiate, but her focus was single-minded – whether leading efforts to provide more affordable housing or getting more Westminster residents into work.
A Londoner to the core, she appreciated the many communities that make up the identity of Westminster. Philippa’s twins were a source of joy after her health issues which were well known. Her measured approach and calmness stayed with her until the end, and I know the thoughts of all will be with Stephen and the family.”
Philippa Roe cause of death
As mentioned in the above statement it was clear that Roe passed away from a Breast cancer complications. Read below the complete cancer story of Philippa Roe.
“Philippa Roe’s Painful struggle with breast cancer”(2015 Interview)
The newest candidate for London mayor from the Conservative Party has explained how a breast cancer scare nearly drove her out of the City and into politics.
Philippa Roe, who signed up for the race on Friday, claimed she had never written a will before because she was so sure her illness would be deadly.
“Give Birth to twins”
Mrs. Roe didn’t leave her lucrative position as a Citigroup director to run for Westminster city council until she unexpectedly received the all-clear and shortly after giving birth to “miracle” twins.
Speaking in her first interview since declaring for the mayoral campaign, Mrs. Roe said the sickness caused her to “reappraise” her life and leave banking to “give something back” to society.
Only a few months had passed since Mrs. Roe’s September 2002 wedding to Stephen Couttie, who is currently a partner at the private equity firm Collabrium Capital.
Breast cancer screening
When Mrs. Roe discovered the little lump, the couple had already started making plans to have children. When Mrs. Roe decided to leave her position as a director at Citigroup to raise her twins and run for council, she initially ignored it because she was engrossed in a significant business transaction that required her to work through the night.
However, a “nagging” feeling persuaded her to get it checked even though she had recently passed a breast cancer screening. Mrs. Roe was told it could be cancer despite her expectation that it was only a cyst. She returned for additional testing twenty-four hours later. She underwent emergency surgery the next day and was on the operating table.
An Emergency surgery
According to Mrs. Roe, “it is almost impossible to describe.” “There was utter shock and amazement. It most likely took three days for it to sink in. “I believed I was going to die. I anticipated dying by now. I was unaware that it could be treated when I was first diagnosed. I believed that the cancer was deadly for seven months.
The City career of Mrs. Roe was suspended. After a second surgery to remove the lymph nodes from her arm, she underwent intensive chemotherapy for six months. Every session, Mrs. Roe’s mother would accompany her to the hospital to divert her attention from the hours-long infusion of poison. The 2016 election’s contest for London mayor already appears to be very competitive.
Mrs. Roe, though, recalls the mental struggle as being the most vivid. You are going to survive this, I would tell myself over and over again every time I went to the restroom, she adds. Even so, she contemplated mortality in the months immediately following her diagnosis and wrote her first will in her early forties.
Radio & Chemotheraphy
Before receiving the all-clear in late 2003 after six weeks of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, Mrs. Roe had already begun to think about going back to her previous life in the City. “You become stuck in a rut, and then all of a sudden, “bang,” your life is drastically altered. It forces you to reevaluate what matters, she claims.
It let me realize how fortunate I am and that perhaps helping others would be more satisfying. After being diagnosed, she concentrated on getting pregnant, a goal she believed to be almost impossible after months of rigorous chemotherapy.
Traveled for fertility treatments
She went back to work part-time for Citigroup, but she was distracted while she traveled the world for fertility treatments. Then, a “miracle” happened. Mrs. Roe gave birth to twins, Angus and Genevieve, following treatment in the United States. If Mrs. Roe wants to receive the Tory nominee for London mayor, she must defeat Zac Goldsmith, the party’s environmentalist MP.
She says, “I decided that the life of an investment banker was not compatible with the kind of mother I wanted to be. She quit her job within a month, but she entered politics nine months later. Both her birth and the chemotherapy had persuaded her to run for Westminster council. “Politics was something that I thought about constantly. My mom served as a Tory MP. However, cancer brought everything to light,” she claims.
Mrs. Roe has chosen to run for mayor of London at the age of 52, nine years later. Although the race is already close, at least one Cabinet minister—who has not yet been named—is rumored to support her.
Another fortunate circumstance for her campaign is that Carol and Mark’s twin, Margaret Thatcher, has been compared to her. It is quite flattering, adds Mrs. Roe. The late Mrs. Thatcher was a true hero. At a time when things were going to the dogs, she helped to transform this nation. This nation owes her a huge debt of gratitude, in my opinion.
If Mrs. Roe manages to persuade the Tories to support her for mayor after making a quick foray into politics, she will share another trait with the Iron Lady: she will have defied all odds to secure the party’s candidacy for an elected position.
Who was Philippa Marion Roe?
From 2012 until 2017, Philippa Marion Roe, Baroness Couttie, a British Conservative politician, led the Westminster City Council. Philippa Marion Roe was born on September 25, 1962, and died on December 12, 2022. She worked as an investment banker at Citigroup before going public.
Early Life
Roe was up in Hampstead and received his education at the University of St. Andrews. Before entering politics in 2006, he served as a director of Citigroup. She is the child of Dame Marion Roe and James Roe. Both her younger brother and sister are present. She was elected to the University of St. Andrews Senate in 1982, making history as the first student to do so in 572 years. After graduating from college, she joined Burson Marsteller to start a career in public relations.
Career
She was a member of a group of business professionals the Conservative administration engaged while launching the private finance initiative in the 1990s, and in 2004 she co-authored a paper titled “Reforming the Private Finance Initiative” that was released by the Centre for Policy Studies.
She left her position at Citigroup after she gave birth to twins Genevieve and Angus. She is married to investment manager Stephen Couttie. Soon after, in 2006, Roe was chosen to represent the three-member Knightsbridge and Belgravia ward on Westminster City Council. She had recently beat cancer at that point.
She was selected to serve as a governor of Imperial College London, and in 2008 she was promoted to the Westminster government as the minister of housing. After being re-elected as a councilor in May 2010, Roe announced in June that she agreed with the coalition government’s plan to cap housing benefits at £400 per week.
She assumed the cabinet post for strategic finance in 2011. She replaced Colin Barrow as council leader the next year after defeating Edward Argar for the position, and she promptly rejected comparisons to her predecessor, Dame Shirley Porter.
Also, she assumed leadership of Westminster’s statutory Health and Wellbeing Board in the same year. She is a member of the London Enterprise Panel as well.
According to her 2013 quotes, “local people know best” and “the financing challenge is an opportunity to break free of orthodoxy and assess all the services supplied and how they might be delivered more efficiently,” the funding challenge is chance to break free from conventional wisdom.
In 2014, she was re-elected as a councilor and won the most votes, with the Conservative candidates receiving 79.6% of the vote. In the 2018 election, she chose not to run for councilor. Roe said in July 2015 that she intended to run for mayor of London in the May 2016 election and that she wanted to be nominated by her party.
However, the Conservatives did not shortlist her. On September 5, 2016, she was appointed Baroness Couttie of Downe in the County of Kent as part of David Cameron’s Resignation Honours. Stephen, her husband, goes as Couttie.
Tributes paid to Philippa Marion Roe
Extremely sorry to hear about the untimely death of Philippa Roe who was an inspirational leader of Westminster City Council and a great support when I stood for the Council back in 2010. Sincere condolences to her family and friends https://t.co/Iuvqq6D81C
— Duncan Flynn (@DuncanFlynn81) December 13, 2022
Deeply sad news that Baroness Philippa Roe has passed away. We heard powerful tributes to her work with London Councils & leading Westminster Council earlier as London’s cross party leaders held a minute’s silence in her memory.
She leaves a huge legacy of public service.
— Georgia Gould (@Georgia_Gould) December 13, 2022
Philippa Roe was an exemplary Leader of Westminster City Council and a committed & hard-working ward Councillor for Knightsbridge & Belgravia. She will be remembered for all she contributed to Westminster. Our deepest condolences are with her husband Stephen and two children. pic.twitter.com/f8tgGzy91R
— Westminster Matters (@westminstertory) December 13, 2022
Very sad news Nickie. My thoughts to her family and friends at this very sad time 😞
— Florence Eshalomi MP (@FloEshalomi) December 13, 2022
Very sorry and saddened to hear this Nickie. Thoughts with Philippa's family, friends and colleagues.
— Angus Parsad-Wyatt (@anguswyatt) December 13, 2022
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Lavanya (Senior Editor) is a full-time content writer with almost 5 years of experience and a part-time teacher. She joined Medico Topics on the Breaking News trainee scheme in 2022 and now works on MedicoTopics.com. As a lifelong learner, She is constantly curious about learning new things and passionate about sharing knowledge with people through her writing and teaching.