Eleanor Laing
Encyclopedia
Eleanor Fulton Laing, née Pritchard, (born 1 February 1958) is a British
politician. She is Conservative
Member of Parliament
for Epping Forest
, and was first elected in 1997.
, Renfrewshire
in 1958 and raised in the nearby village of Kilmacolm
, where she attended the local St Columba's School. In 1976, she left for the University of Edinburgh
, graduating with Bachelor of Arts
and Bachelor of Laws
qualifications. She was the first female President of the Edinburgh University Students' Association
. She worked as a solicitor in Edinburgh
and the City of London
.
in the 1987 general election
.
When Laing was first elected to the Epping Forest constituency in 1997
, the seat had been reduced to marginal status by the Labour landslide. Before election, she had had been offered support by Malcolm Rifkind
and was generally considered to be a Europhile. Once in Parliament, she appeared to sign up to the Eurosceptic-wing of the party, first supporting Michael Howard
then William Hague
for the Conservative leadership. After the election she sat on the Education and Employment Committee, chaired by Labour Margaret Hodge
although apparently attended none of its sessions. She was seen as a rising star in her early career, with good performances in the Commons and strong attacks against Labour.
She was a strong critic of devolution, and attacked the government on many of the details of the transfer of power. In December 2000 she was appointed as opposition Scottish spokeswoman.
In 2001
the seat returned to safe status with a 19.8% majority. In 2005
, she increased that majority to 32%. She has an interest in education, transport, economic policy, constitution and devolution. In 2008 she was one of 172 MPs who voted to preserve what critics call a lax and over-generous system of Parliamentary expenses which permit Members of Parliament to claim for expenses without producing receipts.
After the 2010 General Election, and the return of the Conservatives to power, Laing received no post in the government, and now sits on the backbenches.
in 1997, calling it a 'millstone round your neck' for those who were selected by that process.
who said that 'a homosexual act is unnatural', and replied that it did not challenge Christian teaching, and that the bill was not legalising anything which did not already go on.
While bishops were told to vote against an equal gay rights law in March 2007, Laing spoke in favour of the law arguing that that "her brand of Christianity" preached "live and let live".
claims were released in the press
, it was shown that Laing had avoided paying £180,000 Capital gains tax on the sale of her Westminster
flat by declaring it as her primary residence
. However, she had registered the flat as her second home with the Parliamentary Fees Office, and by doing so had claimed through her Additional Costs Allowance some of the interest due on her mortgage.
Her constituency is Epping Forest
, which is close to London
and less than an hour's journey by tube
. When questioned she said that prior to the sale of the flat she had sought the advice of her solicitor. Laing was cleared by the Legg Inquiry.; nonetheless, she voluntarily repaid £25,000 . As a result of the scandal she also had to face an attempt to deselect her by her constituency party, led by the Leader of Essex Council - which she survived .
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
politician. She is Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Epping Forest
Epping Forest (UK Parliament constituency)
Epping Forest is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
, and was first elected in 1997.
Early life
Laing was born in PaisleyPaisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
, Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire (historic)
Renfrewshire or the County of Renfrew is a registration county, the Lieutenancy area of the Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire, and one of the counties of Scotland used for local government until 1975. Renfrewshire is located in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland, south of the River Clyde,...
in 1958 and raised in the nearby village of Kilmacolm
Kilmacolm
Kilmacolm is a village and civil parish in the Inverclyde council area and the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the northern slope of the Gryffe Valley south-east of Greenock and around west of the city of Glasgow...
, where she attended the local St Columba's School. In 1976, she left for the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, graduating with Bachelor of Arts
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...
and Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
qualifications. She was the first female President of the Edinburgh University Students' Association
Edinburgh University Students' Association
Edinburgh University Students' Association provides services, representation and welfare support to matriculated students of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.-Composition:...
. She worked as a solicitor in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
.
Parliamentary career
Laing contested Paisley NorthPaisley North (UK Parliament constituency)
Paisley North was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Paisley in Renfrewshire, Scotland. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system....
in the 1987 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
.
When Laing was first elected to the Epping Forest constituency in 1997
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, the seat had been reduced to marginal status by the Labour landslide. Before election, she had had been offered support by Malcolm Rifkind
Malcolm Rifkind
Sir Malcolm Leslie Rifkind KCMG QC MP is a British Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament for Kensington. He served in various roles as a cabinet minister under Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major, including Secretary of State for Scotland , Defence Secretary and...
and was generally considered to be a Europhile. Once in Parliament, she appeared to sign up to the Eurosceptic-wing of the party, first supporting Michael Howard
Michael Howard
Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne, CH, QC, PC is a British politician, who served as the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005...
then William Hague
William Hague
William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
for the Conservative leadership. After the election she sat on the Education and Employment Committee, chaired by Labour Margaret Hodge
Margaret Hodge
Margaret Hodge MBE MP, also known as Lady Hodge by virtue of her husband's knighthood, is a British Labour politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Barking since 1994. She was the first Minister for Children in 2003 and was Minister of State for Culture and Tourism at the Department...
although apparently attended none of its sessions. She was seen as a rising star in her early career, with good performances in the Commons and strong attacks against Labour.
She was a strong critic of devolution, and attacked the government on many of the details of the transfer of power. In December 2000 she was appointed as opposition Scottish spokeswoman.
In 2001
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
the seat returned to safe status with a 19.8% majority. In 2005
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, she increased that majority to 32%. She has an interest in education, transport, economic policy, constitution and devolution. In 2008 she was one of 172 MPs who voted to preserve what critics call a lax and over-generous system of Parliamentary expenses which permit Members of Parliament to claim for expenses without producing receipts.
After the 2010 General Election, and the return of the Conservatives to power, Laing received no post in the government, and now sits on the backbenches.
Past and present positions
- 1999–2000 Opposition whip
- 2000–2001 Opposition spokesperson, constitutional affairsDepartment for Constitutional AffairsThe Department for Constitutional Affairs was a United Kingdom government department. Its creation was announced on 12 June 2003 with the intention of replacing the Lord Chancellor's Department...
- 2001–2003 Spokeswoman for education and skills
- 2003–2004 Opposition spokesman, home, constitutional and legal affairs
- 2005 Shadow Secretary of State for ScotlandSecretary of State for ScotlandThe Secretary of State for Scotland is the principal minister of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Scotland. He heads the Scotland Office , a government department based in London and Edinburgh. The post was created soon after the Union of the Crowns, but was...
- 2004 Shadow Minister for Women and EqualityMinister for Women and EqualityThe post of Minister for Women and Equalities is a ministerial position in the United Kingdom with responsibility for addressing all forms of discrimination, with particular emphasis on gender inequality.-History:...
- 2007–2010 Shadow Junior Justice MinisterMinistry of Justice (United Kingdom)The Ministry of Justice is a ministerial department of the UK Government headed by the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor, who is responsible for improvements to the justice system so that it better serves the public...
All-women shortlists
Laing voiced her disagreement with all-women shortlistsAll-women shortlists
The use of all-women shortlists is the political practice intended to increase the proportion of female Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom by allowing only women to stand in particular constituencies for a particular political party. Though the practice is available to all parties, only...
in 1997, calling it a 'millstone round your neck' for those who were selected by that process.
Gay Rights
In a Commons debate in June 1998 Laing sponsored the motion for lowering the homosexual age of consent to 16, saying 'Nothing that is being proposed tonight is in any way encouraging physical sexual activity among young people before they are sufficiently mature.' She differed with many of her Conservative colleagues, saying 'It is nonsense to say that there cannot be equality between 16-year-old boys and 16-year-old girls. Young people need protection, but young people are not protected by being made into criminals.' She opposed fellow Tories such as Nicholas WintertonNicholas Winterton
Sir Nicholas Raymond Winterton is a retired British Conservative Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Macclesfield from 1971 until he retired from the House of Commons at the 2010 general election....
who said that 'a homosexual act is unnatural', and replied that it did not challenge Christian teaching, and that the bill was not legalising anything which did not already go on.
While bishops were told to vote against an equal gay rights law in March 2007, Laing spoke in favour of the law arguing that that "her brand of Christianity" preached "live and let live".
MPs' expenses scandal
After details of MP's expenseExpense
In common usage, an expense or expenditure is an outflow of money to another person or group to pay for an item or service, or for a category of costs. For a tenant, rent is an expense. For students or parents, tuition is an expense. Buying food, clothing, furniture or an automobile is often...
claims were released in the press
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, it was shown that Laing had avoided paying £180,000 Capital gains tax on the sale of her Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
flat by declaring it as her primary residence
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
. However, she had registered the flat as her second home with the Parliamentary Fees Office, and by doing so had claimed through her Additional Costs Allowance some of the interest due on her mortgage.
Her constituency is Epping Forest
Epping Forest
Epping Forest is an area of ancient woodland in south-east England, straddling the border between north-east Greater London and Essex. It is a former royal forest, and is managed by the City of London Corporation....
, which is close to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and less than an hour's journey by tube
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
. When questioned she said that prior to the sale of the flat she had sought the advice of her solicitor. Laing was cleared by the Legg Inquiry.; nonetheless, she voluntarily repaid £25,000 . As a result of the scandal she also had to face an attempt to deselect her by her constituency party, led by the Leader of Essex Council - which she survived .
Private life
Laing has one son, born in June 2001. She married Alan Laing in 1983 and divorced in 2002. Her turbulent private life has attracted press comment on occasionExternal links
- Eleanor Laing MP official constituency website
- Profile at the Conservative Party
News items
- Becoming Shadow Scottish Secretary in 2005
- Eleanor Laing, BBC News, 10 February 2005
- Sticking up for teenage mothers in 2004
- Abhorred at discrimination by academic fees between Scottish and English university students in 2000