Gavin Strang
Encyclopedia
Gavin Steel Strang is a British
politician
who served in the House of Commons for forty years (1970–2010), representing Edinburgh East
in the Labour
interest. He served as a minister in the 1974-1979 government under Prime Ministers Harold Wilson
and James Callaghan
as well as in the Cabinet under Tony Blair
. By the time of his retirement he was the longest-serving incumbent Scottish MP.
. He went to Morrison's Academy
in Crieff
. At the University of Edinburgh
, he gained a BSc
in Genetics in 1964. At Churchill College, Cambridge
, he gained a Diploma in Agricultural Science (DipAgriSci). From the University of Edinburgh he gained a PhD
in Agricultural Science. from 1966-68. He was a member of the Tayside Economic Planning Consultative Group. He was a scientist at the Agricultural and Food Research Council
and Animal Breeding Research Organisation in Edinburgh from 1968-70.
stronghold in the 1970s and 1980s, Strang's seat was a Labour safe seat. He was first elected in 1970
, and was re-elected in February 1974, October 1974, 1979
, 1983
, 1987
, 1992
, 1997
, 2001
, 2005
. From 1997 to 2005 his seat was named Edinburgh East & Musselburgh
Strang was a minister under Harold Wilson
and James Callaghan
, serving as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Energy in 1974 and then at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
until 1979. He was Minister for Transport
from 1997, with a seat in the Cabinet
, but was sacked in 1998.
After becoming a backbencher Strang was sometimes critical of government policy. He campaigned against the privatisation of National Air Traffic Services
, and on 31 October 2006, was one of 12 Labour MPs to back Plaid Cymru
and the Scottish National Party
's call for an inquiry into the Iraq War.
Strang was Chairman of the All-Party Group for World Government
and on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
. In November 2007 he announced he would stand down at the next general election, but later reversed the decision. On 27 June 2008, Strang again changed his mind and announced that he would indeed stand down at the next general election.
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British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who served in the House of Commons for forty years (1970–2010), representing Edinburgh East
Edinburgh East (UK Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh East is a burgh constituency of 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....
in the Labour
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...
interest. He served as a minister in the 1974-1979 government under Prime Ministers Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
and James Callaghan
James Callaghan
Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC , was a British Labour politician, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980...
as well as in the Cabinet under Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
. By the time of his retirement he was the longest-serving incumbent Scottish MP.
Early life
He was a farmer's son and grew up in PerthshirePerthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
. He went to Morrison's Academy
Morrison's Academy
Morrison's Academy is an independent co-educational school in Crieff, Scotland, which provides nursery, primary and secondary school facilities. All who attend are day pupils and it draws many pupils from surrounding Perth and Kinross and Stirling....
in Crieff
Crieff
Crieff is a market town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It lies on the A85 road between Perth and Crianlarich and also lies on the A822 between Greenloaning and Aberfeldy. The A822 joins onto the A823 which leads to Dunfermline....
. At 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...
, he gained a BSc
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in Genetics in 1964. At Churchill College, Cambridge
Churchill College, Cambridge
Churchill College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.In 1958, a Trust was established with Sir Winston Churchill as its Chairman of Trustees, to build and endow a college for 60 fellows and 540 Students as a national and Commonwealth memorial to Winston Churchill; its...
, he gained a Diploma in Agricultural Science (DipAgriSci). From the University of Edinburgh he gained a PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in Agricultural Science. from 1966-68. He was a member of the Tayside Economic Planning Consultative Group. He was a scientist at the Agricultural and Food Research Council
Agricultural and Food Research Council
The Agricultural and Food Research Council , was a British Research Council responsible for funding and managing scientific and technological developments in farming and horticulture....
and Animal Breeding Research Organisation in Edinburgh from 1968-70.
Parliamentary career
In 1970, Labour MP George Willis, who had represented Edinburgh East since 1954, retired. Strang won Labour's endorsement and was elected to Parliament. Although Edinburgh was a ConservativeConservative 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...
stronghold in the 1970s and 1980s, Strang's seat was a Labour safe seat. He was first elected in 1970
United Kingdom general election, 1970
The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their...
, and was re-elected in February 1974, October 1974, 1979
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
, 1983
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
, 1987
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...
, 1992
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
, 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...
, 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...
, 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....
. From 1997 to 2005 his seat was named Edinburgh East & Musselburgh
Edinburgh East and Musselburgh (UK Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh East and Musselburgh was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2005. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
Strang was a minister under Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
and James Callaghan
James Callaghan
Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC , was a British Labour politician, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980...
, serving as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Energy in 1974 and then at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was a United Kingdom government department created by the Board of Agriculture Act 1889 and at that time called the Board of Agriculture, and then from 1903 the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, and from 1919 the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries...
until 1979. He was Minister for Transport
Secretary of State for Transport
The Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. The role has had a high turnover as new appointments are blamed for the failures of decades of their predecessors...
from 1997, with a seat in the Cabinet
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
, but was sacked in 1998.
After becoming a backbencher Strang was sometimes critical of government policy. He campaigned against the privatisation of National Air Traffic Services
National Air Traffic Services
NATS Ltd. is the main air navigation service provider in the United Kingdom. It provides en-route air traffic control services to flights within the UK Flight Information Regions and the Shanwick Oceanic Control Area, and provides air traffic control services to fifteen UK airports and Gibraltar...
, and on 31 October 2006, was one of 12 Labour MPs to back Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru
' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
and 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 call for an inquiry into the Iraq War.
Strang was Chairman of the All-Party Group for World Government
All-Party Group for World Government
The All-Party Group for World Governance, previously the All-Party Group for World Government, founded by Henry Usborne in 1947, is one of the oldest groups in the British Parliament. At its peak, it had over 200 members from the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The Group founded the One...
and on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the Committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and its...
. In November 2007 he announced he would stand down at the next general election, but later reversed the decision. On 27 June 2008, Strang again changed his mind and announced that he would indeed stand down at the next general election.
Personal life
He married Bettina in 1973. They have a son and two step sons. His wife has been the Chair of the UK arm of the Europa Donna medical organisation.External links
- Gavin Strang MP official site
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Gavin Strang MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Gavin Strang MP
- BBC Politics
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