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Kirsty McNeill

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Kirsty McNeill
Official portrait, 2024
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
Assumed office
9 July 2024
Prime MinisterKeir Starmer
Preceded byJohn Lamont
Member of Parliament
for Midlothian
Assumed office
4 July 2024
Preceded byOwen Thompson
Majority8,167 (18.5%)
Personal details
Political partyLabour and Co-operative
Websitekirstymcneill.com

Kirsty McNeill is a Scottish politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Midlothian since 2024. A member of the Labour and Co-operative Party, she also serves as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland.[1]

Early life and career

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McNeill served as President of the Oxford University Student Union in 2001, during which time she successfully campaigned to prevent holocaust denier David Irving from speaking at a debate.[2]

She was previously an advisor to Gordon Brown when he was Prime Minister.[3] Prior to being elected, McNeill was Executive Director of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns at Save the Children.

Political career

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In the 2005 general election, McNeill stood for Labour in the North Southwark and Bermondsey constituency, losing to the Liberal Democrat candidate, Simon Hughes.[4]

In the 2024 general election, McNeill was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Midlothian with 21,480 votes (48.6%) and a majority of 8,167 over the second place SNP candidate.[5] On 9 July 2024, she was appointed as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Scotland Office.[6][7]

References

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  1. ^ "Ministerial Appointments: July 2024". GOV.UK. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  2. ^ Dickinson, Jim (1 July 2024). "The former student leaders entering Parliament". Wonkhe. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  3. ^ Quinn, Andrew (5 March 2024). "Labour candidate Kirsty McNeill was 'raised by the SNP' but plans to win Midlothian for Keir Starmer". Daily Record. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  4. ^ "Cockenzie resident selected as Labour's candidate for Midlothian at next election". East Lothian Courier. 17 February 2023.
  5. ^ "Election 2024 > Midlothian results". BBC News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Kirsty McNeill appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State". GOV.UK. Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland. 9 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Kirsty McNeill MP". GOV.UK. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
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