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Lesley Laird

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Lesley Laird
Official portrait, 2017
Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party
In office
4 June 2018 – 16 December 2019
Acting: 16 December 2017 – 4 June 2018
LeaderRichard Leonard
Preceded byAlex Rowley
Succeeded byJackie Baillie
Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
In office
14 June 2017 – 13 December 2019
LeaderJeremy Corbyn
Preceded byDavid Anderson
Succeeded byTony Lloyd
Member of Parliament
for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath
In office
8 June 2017 – 6 November 2019
Preceded byRoger Mullin
Succeeded byNeale Hanvey
Personal details
Born
Lesley Margaret Langan

(1958-11-15) 15 November 1958 (age 66)
Greenock, Scotland, UK
Political partyLabour
Alma materJames Watt College
Glasgow Caledonian
University
Edinburgh Napier University

Lesley Margaret Laird (née Langan; born 15 November 1958) is a Scottish politician who served as Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 2017 to 2019. She was Member of Parliament (MP) for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath from 2017 to 2019, and Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland during the same period. Laird was a Member of Fife Council from 2012 to 2018 and served as the Deputy Leader of the Council.

Early life and career

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Lesley Margaret Langan was born on 15 November 1958 in Greenock, Scotland.[1] She was educated at James Watt College, Caledonian University and then Edinburgh Napier University.[2] Prior to her election to Parliament, she was employed in senior human resources posts in the electronic, semiconductor and financial service industries.[3]

Laird was first selected by her Constituency Labour Party to contend the 2012 local elections, and was returned alongside her Scottish Labour running mate.[4] She was appointed spokesperson for economy and planning in February 2013 and one year later was elected by her fellow Labour councillors to the post of deputy leader.

Laird spoke on behalf of Fife Council at the Barclay Review looking at non-domestic rates across Scotland and called for reform, saying the current scheme favoured out-of-town retailers.[5] She led the call from Fife Council for a radical overhaul of the Scottish planning system.[6][7] She also secured regeneration of Fraser Avenue in Inverkeithing, a project which was commended by the Saltire Society.[8][9][10]

Laird sought selection for the Scottish Labour regional list for the Mid Scotland and Fife region in the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.[11]

Parliamentary career

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For the 2017 snap general election, Laird was selected to stand as the Scottish Labour candidate for the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency; once held by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.[12] Laird narrowly defeated the sitting MP, Roger Mullin of the SNP, by 259 votes at the 2017 general election,[13][14] Laird was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland less than a week later on 14 June 2017.[15]

Laird's maiden speech at the House of Commons focused on poverty in her constituency and quoted Kirkcaldy-born economist Adam Smith, as well as former PM Winston Churchill:

The state must increasingly and earnestly concern itself with the care of the sick, the aged and the young. The state must increasingly assume the position of the reserve employer of labour.[16]

Laird continued to regularly campaign on poverty issues in the constituency, working in partnership with local charities in a bid to overturn the UK government's new flagship welfare policy, Universal Credit.[17][18][19]

By enlisting support from Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaigners, Unison and Citizens Advice Rights Fife, Laird also hosted a number of public campaign events aimed at 1950s-born women who were affected by age-related eligibility changes.[20][21][22]

In response to public concern with ongoing flaring at Fife Ethylene Plant (FEP), Laird established a Mossmorran Working Group, the first to include cross-party elected representatives, community groups, as well as representatives from FEP operators Shell UK, ExxonMobil, the Health and Safety Executive and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency also attended.[23][24][25]

Laird held a public meeting with ScotRail director Alex Hynes in Kirkcaldy in February 2019, to discuss franchise operator Abellio's poor performance record in Fife, particularly during that winter, when stop-skipping and train delays were a regular occurrence.[26] Although transport issues were devolved, Laird later lobbied the Scottish Government to use an early break-clause in its Abellio contract.[27] On 18 December 2019, transport minister Michael Matheson announced he would cancel the contract three years early, in 2022.[28]

Laird intervened when local constituents fell victim to automated push payment (APP) fraud. Despite the Santander Bank's insistence that they were not at fault, Laird later succeeded in securing a £278,000 repayment to victims.[29] She also campaigned against bank closures across the constituency.[30][31]

The MP secured a pledge from the Ministry of Defence to finance work to clean-up radiation at Dalgety Bay – an issue blighted by two decades of inactivity.[32]

Laird called for reform to planning law after residents objected to large-scale development in Aberdour, and campaigned for regeneration of Kirkcaldy town centre, holding talks with Columbia Threadneedle, former owners of the Postings, and LaSalle, former owners of the Mercat.[33][34] She argued for government intervention for local industry to protect jobs, most notably in the case of Bifab and Babcock at Rosyth shipyard.[35][36][37]

In May 2018, Laird faced criticism for neglecting her duties as a councillor, having only attended two meetings after her election as an MP. Critics argued she should have resigned as a councillor when becoming a Member of Parliament. Her party's rules later stated members should only hold one elected position, a policy Laird appeared to have breached, according to The National.[38] Laird resigned the post in June 2018.[39]

Laird lost her seat to Neale Hanvey, the SNP candidate (though he was suspended from the party at the time) at the 2019 general election. She subsequently resigned as Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party,[40] criticising members of her party for undermining the leaderships of Jeremy Corbyn and Richard Leonard.[41]

Laird endorsed Keir Starmer in the 2020 Labour Party leadership election.[42]

Notes

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References

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  1. ^ "Lesley Laird MP". myparliament.info. MyParliament. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  2. ^ "Laird, Lesley". Who's Who. Vol. 2018 (February 2018 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 14 February 2018. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ^ "About Lesley". lesleylaird.com. Lesley Laird. 20 June 2014. Archived from the original on 9 June 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  4. ^ "Councillor Surgeries". Fifedirect.org.uk. Fife Council. Archived from the original on 8 September 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  5. ^ "Fife at business rates review meeting". www.fifetoday.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  6. ^ "Fifers call for radical overhaul of Scottish planning system". Scottish Housing News. 3 December 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  7. ^ "Fife Council calls for changes to planning system". Scotland's Towns Partnership. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  8. ^ Clark, Leeza (22 June 2017). "Accolade for Fife regeneration scheme". The Courier. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  9. ^ Clark, Leeza (9 November 2016). "VIDEO: Demolition crew starts work on Inverkeithing street". The Courier. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  10. ^ "Fife Regeneration Plans Green-Lit". Kingdom FM. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  11. ^ "Scottish Labour announce list candidates for May's election". LabourList. 6 February 2016. Archived from the original on 27 May 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  12. ^ Stark, Jim (16 May 2017). "Lesley Laird was Labour candidate". Central Fife Times. Archived from the original on 15 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  13. ^ "Lesley Laird MP". parliament.uk. UK Parliament. 20 July 2015. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  14. ^ "Election 2017: Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath parliamentary constituency". BBC News. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  15. ^ "Notes on the Reshuffle". New Socialist. 18 June 2017. Archived from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  16. ^ "Education and Local Services – Tuesday 27 June 2017 – Hansard – UK Parliament". hansard.parliament.uk.
  17. ^ "Scrap Universal Credit to help combat chronic poverty in Kirkcaldy". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  18. ^ Smith, Craig (7 October 2019). "Fife agencies put spotlight on poverty ahead of Challenge Poverty Week". The Courier. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  19. ^ "Unhappy at Government's lack of response to UC questions". Central Fife Times. 22 July 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  20. ^ Clark, Leeza (11 April 2019). "Rallying cry to establish more WASPI groups as 200 women attend Kirkcaldy meeting". The Courier. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  21. ^ Smith, Craig (6 September 2019). "Cowdenbeath widow's life made "an absolute hell" after pension changes". The Courier. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  22. ^ Aitken, Mark. "Labour promise £5bn to compensate Scots women who lost up to six years of their state pension". The Sunday Post. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  23. ^ "Gas company apologises for continued flaring". Central Fife Times. 30 October 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  24. ^ Brown, Angie (14 August 2019). "Concerns over Sepa's 'effectiveness' on flaring". BBC News. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  25. ^ "Mossmorran to get £140m upgrade to help reduce flaring". www.fifetoday.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  26. ^ Smith, Craig (28 February 2019). "ScotRail chief faces questions from passengers at public meeting in Fife". The Courier. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  27. ^ "Video: Call to cut Fife ScotRail fares 'by at least 30%'". www.fifetoday.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  28. ^ "Abellio ScotRail contract to end three years early". BBC News. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  29. ^ "Bank slammed after fraudsters take £278,000 from Kirkcaldy woman". www.fifetoday.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  30. ^ Smith, Craig (11 December 2017). "Petition calls for Bank of Scotland to halt Fife branch closure". The Courier. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  31. ^ "RBS accused of using "grossly dishonest" figures to justify branch closures". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  32. ^ "Kirkcaldy MP welcomes 'positive' MoD meeting about radiation clean-up at Fife beach". www.fifetoday.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  33. ^ Robertson, Aileen (27 September 2018). "Fife villagers stuck in Groundhog Day campaign against housing developers says MP". The Courier. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  34. ^ Smith, Craig (10 September 2018). "High level talks to discuss future of Kirkcaldy town centre". The Courier. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  35. ^ "Sturgeon urged to fulfil pledge to BiFab workforce". Daily Business. 2 July 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  36. ^ "The green industrial revolution must not pass Scotland by – Lesley Laird". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  37. ^ Landin, Conrad (7 February 2019). "Tories sacrificing British shipbuilding to 'the free market,' unions charge". Morning Star. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  38. ^ National Newsdesk (28 May 2018). "'Clueless': Who is Scottish Labour's new deputy leader Lesley Laird?". The National. Archived from the original on 6 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  39. ^ Hart, Ross (6 June 2018). "Lesley Laird tenders her resignation as an Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay councillor". Dunfermline Press. Archived from the original on 6 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  40. ^ "Lesley Laird stands down as Scottish Labour deputy". BBC News.
  41. ^ "Lesley Laird takes swipe at party in stepping down as Scottish Labour deputy leader". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  42. ^ Paterson, Kirsteen (17 February 2020). "Lesley Laird backs Keir Starmer for Labour leader". The National. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lesley Laird.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath
2017–2019 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
2017–2019 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party
2017–2019 		Succeeded by
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