Eilidh Whiteford | |
|---|---|
| SNPWork & PensionsSpokesman | |
| In office 20 May 2015 – 9 June 2017 | |
| Leader | Angus Robertson |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Mhairi Black |
| Member of Parliament forBanff and Buchan | |
| In office 6 May 2010 – 3 May 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Alex Salmond |
| Succeeded by | David Duguid |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1969-04-24)24 April 1969 (age 55)[1] Aberdeen,Scotland |
| Political party | Scottish National Party |
| Spouse | Stephen Smith[2] |
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow |
| Occupation | Lecturer, Charity Manager |
| Academic background | |
| Thesis | Political histories, politicised spaces: discourses of power in the fiction of Alasdair Gray (1997) |
Eilidh Whiteford (born 24 April 1969) is aScottish National Party (SNP) politician who served as theMember of Parliament for the constituency ofBanff and Buchan from 2010 to 2017.
In the 2010–15 Parliament, she was the SNP's spokesperson for Women; for Fishing, Food and Rural Affairs; and for International Development. During the 2015–17 Parliament, she sat on theScottish Affairs Select Committee and was the SNP's Westminster Spokesperson for Social Justice, Work and Pensions.[3]
Whiteford was born in 1969 inAberdeen and grew up inMacduff,Banffshire. She attendedBanff Academy and has been active in theSNP since joining her local branch in 1986 during the run-up toAlex Salmond's election in 1987.[4] She graduated fromGlasgow University withFirst Class Honours inEnglish andScottish Literature, followed by postgraduate studies inCanada and Scotland that led to a PhD in 1998. While at university, she became involved with theFederation of Student Nationalists, first as National Organiser and then as President, sitting on the SNP National Executive and acting as party spokesperson onHigher Education. In 1992, she worked in thePeterhead office for Alex Salmond.
She returned to theNorth East in early 1998 to work forAllan Macartney MEP. After Macartney died in August 1998, she worked forIan Hudghton MEP until the 1999 elections, and later helped new MSPIrene McGugan establish aconstituency office in thefirst term of theScottish Parliament.
She became a lecturer at Glasgow University in 1999 teachingScottish Literature and developing access routes into higher education formature students (in Glasgow University's adult and continuing education department).
In 2001, she moved into a campaigning role in thevoluntary sector as Co-ordinator of the Scottish Carers' Alliance, a network of carer, disability and children's organisations working for the rights of and to support people looking after elderly, sick or disabled relatives or friends at home.[5]
In 2003 she moved toOxfam where she worked as a policy adviser and campaigns manager for over six years in a role that took her to many parts of the world. Closer to home, Whiteford was actively involved in theMake Poverty History campaign in 2005 and helped establish theScottish Fair Trade Forum.[6] In 2006 she was chair ofGlobal Call to Action Against Poverty Scotland.[7] She also promoteddevelopment issues withmembers of the Scottish Parliament, and immediately after the Make Poverty History campaign, became Oxfam's Scottish Campaigns Manager. She left this post in 2009, to stand as a SNP candidate forBanff and Buchan.[8] She sat on the Board ofTurning Point Scotland until 2011.[9][10]
Whiteford maintains her interests insocial policy and global issues as a volunteer for several charities, and previously sat on the BoardJubilee Scotland.[11]
Whiteford was first elected for Banff and Buchan on 6 May 2010.[12] She made her maiden speech at 20:47 on 7 June 2010 on Constitution and Home Affairs[13] stating that "a very great deal is at stake in our constitutional arrangements. Banff and Buchan's local economy depends heavily on agriculture, fisheries and energy and the manufacturing industries associated with them". She held SNP's Westminster Spokesperson posts: for Women 15 June 2010 – 20 May 2015; for Fishing, Food and Rural Affairs 15 June 2010 – 20 May 2015; and for International Development 15 June 2010 – 20 May 2015. She sat on theScottish Affairs Select Committee 12 July 2010 – 30 March 2015.[14]
In the2015 general election, Whiteford was re-elected as theMP forBanff and Buchan, winning 60.2% of the vote in the constituency and increasing the SNP's majority to 31.5%.[15] She was the Shadow SNP Westminster Group Leader (Social Justice and Welfare) 21 May 2015 – 3 May 2017.[14]
In the2017 election, she lost the seat toDavid Duguid, one of her former schoolmates, of theConservative party.[16]
On 25 October 2011, it emerged that Clerks appointed to the Scottish Affairs Select Committee had raised concerns with the Clerk of Committees, the most senior official, alleging thatLabour Party MPIan Davidson (Glasgow South West) had threatened to inflict "a doing" upon Whiteford, in the event that details of the committee's discussions during a private session were leaked to the media. Following the allegations Whiteford withdrew from the committee and a formal complaint was made by the SNP Parliamentary Leader,Angus Robertson, to theSpeaker of the House.[17]
At the next session of theScottish Affairs Select Committee on 26 October, Davidson made a public apology "for any offense that might have been caused" by his remarks; simultaneously denying that the remarks had been in any way threatening.[18]
However Liberal Democrat, Labour and Conservative committee members all stated that no threats were made.[19][20][21][22]
Gail Lythgoe, a member of staff for SNP MSPJoan McAlpine and then married[23] toHumza Yousaf, emailed a Women's Equality group supporting Whiteford and alleging that Davidson has a history of bullying and called on them to demonstrate against him whilst asking them not to reveal the partisan call for its instigation.[24][25] The email was leaked and Lythgoe publicly apologised for making unsubstantiated allegations, which the Labour Party alleged could be an SNP dirty tricks campaign against Davidson leading it to conduct its investigation.[24]
After an investigation, the Labour Party came to the conclusion that the allegations amounted to a "smear campaign" against Davidson due to the forthcoming investigations chaired by Davidson into the SNP's referendum proposal.[26]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forBanff and Buchan 2010–2017 | Succeeded by |
