Andy Kerr
Encyclopedia
Andy Kerr is a Labour
politician and former Member of the Scottish Parliament
for East Kilbride constituency
, a seat which he held from 1999 until 2011.
In November 2006 he won the Scottish Politician of the Year
award in recognition of his work to bring in the controversial smoking ban in public places. Following the Scottish Labour Party's poor results in the 2007 election
he was also thought of as a possible successor to Jack McConnell
.
in East Kilbride
and obtained a BA
in Social Sciences
at Glasgow Caledonian University
.
Prior to being elected to the Scottish Parliament
, he was a senior officer in Glasgow City Council land services department and served as an adviser in the Leader's office. He was also founder and managing director of Achieving, a quality assurance consultancy.
He was convener of the Scottish Parliament
's Transport and Environment Committee and served on the Confederation of British Industry
working group designed to bring Members of the Scottish Parliament
(MSP) and business closer together as well as being on the cross-party group on ageing and the elderly.
Kerr is considered to be an ally of Motherwell and Wishaw
MSP Jack McConnell
, working with him on his two successive bids for the leadership of Scottish Labour and the position of First Minister.
Kerr was first appointed Minister for Finance and Public Services in the Scottish Executive
in November 2001 and moved to become Minister for Health and Community Care in October 2004, replacing Malcolm Chisolm. As Health Minister, Kerr oversaw significant NHS restructuring.
He was also responsible for the Scottish ban on smoking in public areas which was introduced on 26 March 2006. Kerr retained the health portfolio in McConnell's shadow cabinet upon the Scottish National Party
's victory at the Scottish Parliament Election, 2007.
Having ruled himself out of contention as a successor for Jack McConnell, Kerr voted for Wendy Alexander to become leader of the Scottish Labour Party. On 17 September 2007 he was appointed Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Public Services and Local Government. With Wendy Alexander
's resignation as leader of the Labour Party in Scotland, Kerr stood for election as the next leader. However, following the victory of Iain Gray in the leadership election, Kerr was appointed Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth.
At the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, Kerr was one of many Labour casualties, losing his seat after 12 years to Linda Fabiani
of the SNP. Kerr did not stand on the regional list, so therefore did not return as an MSP.
Kerr lives in Strathaven
with his wife and three daughters.
On 11th July 2011 it was announced that Andy had been appointed to the vacant CEO position at Scottish Charity Organisation, Sense Scotland.
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician and former Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
for East Kilbride constituency
East Kilbride (Scottish Parliament constituency)
East Kilbride is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
, a seat which he held from 1999 until 2011.
In November 2006 he won the Scottish Politician of the Year
Scottish Politician of the Year
Scottish Politician of the Year is an annual award established in 1999. It is held by The Herald newspaper in Prestonfield, Edinburgh, Scotland....
award in recognition of his work to bring in the controversial smoking ban in public places. Following the Scottish Labour Party's poor results in the 2007 election
Scottish Parliament election, 2007
The 2007 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the third general election to the devolved Scottish Parliament since it was created in 1999...
he was also thought of as a possible successor to Jack McConnell
Jack McConnell
Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale is a British Labour life peer in the House of Lords. He was third First Minister of Scotland from 2001 to 2007, making him the longest serving First Minister in the history of the Scottish Parliament...
.
Biography
Kerr was educated at Claremont High SchoolClaremont High School (East Kilbride)
Not to be confused with other schools with the same name, see Claremont High School for details.Claremont High School was a non-denominational, state-funded secondary school in East Kilbride...
in East Kilbride
East Kilbride
East Kilbride is a large suburban town in the South Lanarkshire council area, in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland. Designated as Scotland's first new town in 1947, it forms part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation...
and obtained a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Social Sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
at Glasgow Caledonian University
Glasgow Caledonian University
Glasgow Caledonian University is a public university in Glasgow, Scotland.The university was constituted by an Act of Parliament on 1 April 1993 as a result of a merger between Glasgow Polytechnic and The Queen's College, Glasgow....
.
Prior to being elected to the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
, he was a senior officer in Glasgow City Council land services department and served as an adviser in the Leader's office. He was also founder and managing director of Achieving, a quality assurance consultancy.
He was convener of the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
's Transport and Environment Committee and served on the Confederation of British Industry
Confederation of British Industry
The Confederation of British Industry is a British not for profit organisation incorporated by Royal charter which promotes the interests of its members, some 200,000 British businesses, a figure which includes some 80% of FTSE 100 companies and around 50% of FTSE 350 companies.-Role:The CBI works...
working group designed to bring Members of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
(MSP) and business closer together as well as being on the cross-party group on ageing and the elderly.
Kerr is considered to be an ally of Motherwell and Wishaw
Motherwell and Wishaw (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Motherwell and Wishaw is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
MSP Jack McConnell
Jack McConnell
Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale is a British Labour life peer in the House of Lords. He was third First Minister of Scotland from 2001 to 2007, making him the longest serving First Minister in the history of the Scottish Parliament...
, working with him on his two successive bids for the leadership of Scottish Labour and the position of First Minister.
Kerr was first appointed Minister for Finance and Public Services in the Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
in November 2001 and moved to become Minister for Health and Community Care in October 2004, replacing Malcolm Chisolm. As Health Minister, Kerr oversaw significant NHS restructuring.
He was also responsible for the Scottish ban on smoking in public areas which was introduced on 26 March 2006. Kerr retained the health portfolio in McConnell's shadow cabinet upon the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
's victory at the Scottish Parliament Election, 2007.
Having ruled himself out of contention as a successor for Jack McConnell, Kerr voted for Wendy Alexander to become leader of the Scottish Labour Party. On 17 September 2007 he was appointed Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Public Services and Local Government. With Wendy Alexander
Wendy Alexander
Wendy Alexander is a Scottish politician and the former Member of the Scottish Parliament for Paisley North. She held various Scottish Government cabinet posts and was the leader of the Labour Party group in the Scottish Parliament from 2007-2008...
's resignation as leader of the Labour Party in Scotland, Kerr stood for election as the next leader. However, following the victory of Iain Gray in the leadership election, Kerr was appointed Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth.
At the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, Kerr was one of many Labour casualties, losing his seat after 12 years to Linda Fabiani
Linda Fabiani
Linda Fabiani is a Scots-Italian politician. A member of the Scottish National Party . She is the Member of the Scottish Parliament for East Kilbride....
of the SNP. Kerr did not stand on the regional list, so therefore did not return as an MSP.
Kerr lives in Strathaven
Strathaven
Strathaven is a historic market town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The town was granted a Royal Charter in 1450, making the Town of Strathaven a burgh of barony. The town's principal industry was primarily weaving in the 19th and early 20th centuries, however this declined when faced by...
with his wife and three daughters.
On 11th July 2011 it was announced that Andy had been appointed to the vacant CEO position at Scottish Charity Organisation, Sense Scotland.
External links
- http://www.sensescotland.org.uk Sense Scotland News Story re: appointment of Andy to CEO.
- Andy Kerr Scottish Labour website
- No butts, it's our liberty that's going up in smoke Scotland on SundayScotland on SundayScotland on Sunday is a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published in Edinburgh by The Scotsman Publications Ltd and consequently assuming the role of Sunday sister to its daily stablemate The Scotsman...
opinion piece on the effects of Scotland's smoking ban - Ban 'helping smokers to give up' BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...