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Philippa Whitford

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Philippa Whitford
SNP Scotland Spokesperson in the House of Commons
In office
10 December 2022 – 4 September 2023
LeaderStephen Flynn
Preceded byMhairi Black
Succeeded byTommy Sheppard
SNP Spokesperson for Europe in the House of Commons
In office
7 January 2020 – 10 December 2022
LeaderIan Blackford
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byAlyn Smith
SNP Spokesperson for Health and Social Care in the House of Commons
In office
20 May 2015 – 14 December 2021
LeaderAngus Robertson
Ian Blackford
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byMartyn Day
SNP Spokesperson for Exiting the European Union in the House of Commons
In office
7 January 2020 – 31 January 2020
LeaderIan Blackford
Preceded byPeter Grant
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Member of Parliament
for Central Ayrshire
In office
7 May 2015 – 30 May 2024
Preceded byBrian Donohoe
Succeeded byAlan Gemmell
Personal details
Born (1958-12-24) 24 December 1958 (age 65)
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Political partyScottish National Party
Spouse
Hans Pieper
​
(m. 1987)​
Children1
Alma materUniversity of Glasgow
Websitewhitford.scot

Philippa Whitford (born 24 December 1958) is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician and a breast surgeon. Originally from Northern Ireland, she was first elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Central Ayrshire in May 2015 and was re-elected in 2017 and 2019.[1] Whitford stood down at the 2024 general election. She previously served as the SNP Spokesperson for Scotland from December 2022 to September 2023.[2][3][4]

She served as the SNP Health spokesperson in the House of Commons from 2015 to 2021.

Early life and education

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Whitford was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland to Elizabeth and Philip Whitford.[5] The family moved to Scotland when she was aged ten.[6] She was educated at Wood Green: St Angela's Providence Convent Secondary School in London and Douglas Academy in Milngavie, before studying at the University of Glasgow, where she graduated with medical degrees. She was the first woman in her family to gain admission to university.[6]

Career

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Surgical career

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Whitford worked as a consultant breast surgeon at Crosshouse Hospital for more than 18 years.[5]

Just after the First Gulf War and during the First Palestinian Intifada at the age of thirty, Whitford served for a year and a half as a medical volunteer in a United Nations hospital in the Gaza Strip.[7] She spent the 2016 parliamentary recess travelling to the West Bank to operate on four women suffering from breast cancer, and visited Gaza to advise local hospitals on how to improve healthcare.[8]

Political career

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Whitford joined the Scottish National Party in 2012. She became involved with the campaign preceding the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. She advocated independence as a way of protecting NHS Scotland from the same kind of "creeping privatisation agenda undermining services in England".[9] An online video of her claiming the NHS in England would be privatised within five years and in Scotland within ten went viral at this time.[10]

“In five years, England will not have an NHS and in 10 years, if we vote no, neither will we," she said.[9]

House of Commons

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Whitford was selected to contest Central Ayrshire for the SNP at the 2015 general election. She polled 26,999 votes – 53.2% of the vote – defeating the incumbent Labour MP, Brian Donohoe, by 13,589 votes.[11] She made her maiden speech in the House of Commons on 2 June 2015.[12]

She was a member of the Joint Committee on the Draft Domestic Abuse Bill, but left the committee on 11 March 2019 to be replaced by Liz Saville Roberts.[13]

In August 2020 after the SNP's rules on candidate selection were changed, meaning MPs seeking election to Holyrood would have to resign their seat at Westminster, Whitford tweeted "For ALL [SNP] MPs - now trapped at Westminster with no straightforward way to put themselves forward for Scotland’s own Parliament. No one ever mentioned this before any of us stood for Westminster."[14][15] The tweet provoked an angry response from political opponents, with Labour's Monica Lennon responding that, "Representing your community is a privilege and responsibility like no other... If SNP MPs feel 'trapped' they should release themselves and let others serve."[16]

In March 2021 Whitford compared Scotland's position as part of the United Kingdom to a woman "locked" in a room and who had had her cheque book “taken away”. The remarks were condemned as "appalling" by Scottish Labour's Deputy leader Jackie Baillie who said: "There is a constant challenge to ensure that domestic abuse is taken seriously and for the gravity of such offences to be properly recognised, so no one, let alone an MP, should ever trivialise the matter by making such throw away comments which will have deeply offended people."[17]

After Westminster blocked the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill in January 2023, using section 35 for the first time since the Scotland Act 1998 was passed, Whitford remarked that its veto was an “unprecedented attack” on the Scottish Parliament which showed the “hollow reality” of devolution in the United Kingdom”.[18]

She announced in July 2023 that she would stand down at the 2024 general election.[19]

Personal life

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Whitford has been married to Hans Pieper, a German citizen who works as a general practitioner, since 1987; the couple have a son together.[6][20]

References

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  1. ^ "Election 2015: Ayrshire Central, Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  2. ^ SNP, the (10 December 2022). "The real opposition: meet your new SNP Westminster Frontbench". Scottish National Party. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Philippa Whitford - Parliamentary Career". Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  4. ^ "SNP announces frontbench reshuffle at Westminster". BBC News. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Whitford, Dr Philippa". Whitford, Dr Philippa, (Born 24 Dec. 1958), MP (SNP) Central Ayrshire, since 2015. Who's Who. 2015. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u283863. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  6. ^ a b c Brown, Annie (10 July 2014). "Independence referendum: Top surgeon becomes viral hit after making impassioned plea to vote Yes to save the NHS". Daily Record. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  7. ^ Jefferson, Rodney (25 March 2015). "The Scottish Streets Where a U.K. Election Will Be Won or Lost". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  8. ^ Dyke, Joe (8 April 2016). "British MP performs cancer surgery for Palestinian women". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  9. ^ a b Clarke, Sandy (5 February 2015). "Consultant breast surgeon Dr Philippa Whitford is selected as SNP candidate to battle for the Central Ayrshire seat in May's General Election". Daily Record. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  10. ^ "Scotland's new MPs". Bailiwick Express. 12 May 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  11. ^ "Election 2015: Ayrshire Central". BBC News. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  12. ^ Dr Philippa Whitford (2 June 2015). "Health and Social Care". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Commons. col. 477–479.
  13. ^ "New appointments this week in UK politics, the civil service and public affairs". PoliticsHome. 11 March 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  14. ^ Paterson, Kirsteen (3 August 2020). "Edinburgh Central battle continues as Philippa Whitford hits out at rule change". The National.
  15. ^ Whitford, Philippa [@dr_philippaw] (2 August 2020). "For ALL @theSNP MPs - now trapped at Westminster with no straightforward way to put themselves forward for Scotland's own Parliament. No one ever mentioned this before any of us stood for Westminster" (Tweet). Retrieved 9 August 2021 – via Twitter.
  16. ^ Lennon, Monica [@MonicaLennon7] (2 August 2020). "Representing your community is a privilege and responsibility like no other... If SNP MPs feel 'trapped' they should release themselves and let others serve" (Tweet). Retrieved 9 August 2021 – via Twitter.
  17. ^ Thom, Ryan (15 March 2021). "Ayrshire MP defends 'unhappy marriage' comparison in case for Independence". Daily Record.
  18. ^ Duffy, Judith (17 January 2023). "Alister Jack challenged by MPs over gender reform section 35 order". The National. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  19. ^ "Philippa Whitford: Eighth SNP MP to quit at next election". BBC News. 18 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  20. ^ "Whitford, Dr Philippa, (born 24 Dec. 1958), MP (SNP) Central Ayrshire, since 2015". Who's Who. 2015. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.283863.
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2015–2024 		Succeeded by
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