Katy Clark
Encyclopedia
Kathryn Sloan Clark is a British Labour Party
politician and former trade union
official who has been the Member of Parliament
(MP) for North Ayrshire and Arran
since 2005
.
, both in Ayr
. Clark was educated at the University of Aberdeen
, receiving an LLB
in 1990. She was the chairwoman of the Labour Club there. She received a Diploma in Legal Practice
from the University of Edinburgh in 1991. She is a solicitor
, in Edinburgh
and Musselburgh
from 1991-8, turned legal officer with UNISON
in London from 1998-2005. She joined the Labour Party at the age of seventeen and is a member of the TGWU
and UNISON
. Her great-great grandfather, former coal-miner Alexander Sloan
, was Labour MP for South Ayrshire
from 1939 until his death in 1946.
at the 1997 general election
, a traditional Conservative
and Scottish National Party
(SNP) marginal.
She was elected to the House of Commons at the 2005 general election
for the new seat of North Ayrshire and Arran, based substantially on the former seat of Cunninghame North whose MP, Brian Wilson had retired, and the towns of Stevenston and Kilwinning from the old Cunninghame South. She had a majority of 11,296, and made her maiden speech
on 7 June 2005.http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/cm050607/debtext/50607-15.htm#50607-15_spnew6
She was nominated for House Magazine's 'Maiden Speech of the Year'.
Following the election, The Guardian
named her as one of eight new MPs "to watch". One of the few left-wing members of Labour's 2005 intake of MPs, she is a member of the Socialist Campaign Group
and the Scottish Labour Party Campaign for Socialism
; of the twenty-four members of the Campaign Group, she is the only one under the age of 50. Clark quickly established a reputation as a rebel within the Parliamentary Labour Party
, voting against ID cards. However, she does not consider herself to be a rebel, stating that her "views are consistent with Labour's traditions".http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1588476,00.html
Since being elected she has campaigned against the contracting out of lifeline ferry services in her constituency and for employment and retraining for workers at the Simclar factory in her constituency after the factory closed. She has campaigned consistently on human rights issues and was one of 95 Labour MPs who opposed replacing Britain's Trident nuclear weapons system.
She supported a 'No' vote in the 2011 AV Referendum .
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 trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
official who has been the 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,...
(MP) for North Ayrshire and Arran
North Ayrshire and Arran (UK Parliament constituency)
North Ayrshire and Arran is a constituency of the British House of Commons, located in the south-west of Scotland within the North Ayrshire council area...
since 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....
.
Early life
She went to Ayr Grammar Primary School, then Kyle AcademyKyle Academy
Kyle Academy is a state-run secondary school in Ayr, Scotland, run by South Ayrshire Council. It is a non-denominational, co-educational school, serving some of the southern part of Ayr.-History:...
, both in Ayr
Ayr
Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205...
. Clark was educated at the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
, receiving an LLB
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...
in 1990. She was the chairwoman of the Labour Club there. She received a Diploma in Legal Practice
Common Professional Examination
The Common Professional Examination is a postgraduate law course in England and Wales that is taken by non-law graduates wishing to become either a solicitor or barrister in England and Wales...
from the University of Edinburgh in 1991. She is a solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
, 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 Musselburgh
Musselburgh
Musselburgh is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, six miles east of Edinburgh city centre.-History:...
from 1991-8, turned legal officer with UNISON
UNISON
UNISON is the largest trade union in the United Kingdom with over 1.3 million members.The union was formed in 1993 when three public sector trade unions, the National and Local Government Officers Association , the National Union of Public Employees and the Confederation of Health Service...
in London from 1998-2005. She joined the Labour Party at the age of seventeen and is a member of the TGWU
Transport and General Workers' Union
The Transport and General Workers' Union, also known as the TGWU and the T&G, was one of the largest general trade unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland - where it was known as the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union - with 900,000 members...
and UNISON
UNISON
UNISON is the largest trade union in the United Kingdom with over 1.3 million members.The union was formed in 1993 when three public sector trade unions, the National and Local Government Officers Association , the National Union of Public Employees and the Confederation of Health Service...
. Her great-great grandfather, former coal-miner Alexander Sloan
Alexander Sloan
Alexander Sloan was Labour MP for South Ayrshire, in Scotland, until his death.His successor was Emrys Hughes.His great-great-granddaughter, Katy Clark, is also a Labour MP.-References:...
, was Labour MP for South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire (UK Parliament constituency)
South Ayrshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1868 until 1983, when it was abolished...
from 1939 until his death in 1946.
Parliamentary career
She unsuccessfully contested the parliamentary seat of Galloway and Upper NithsdaleGalloway and Upper Nithsdale (UK Parliament constituency)
Galloway and Upper Nithsdale was a county constituency which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system....
at the 1997 general election
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...
, a traditional 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...
and 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....
(SNP) marginal.
She was elected to the House of Commons at the 2005 general election
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....
for the new seat of North Ayrshire and Arran, based substantially on the former seat of Cunninghame North whose MP, Brian Wilson had retired, and the towns of Stevenston and Kilwinning from the old Cunninghame South. She had a majority of 11,296, and made her maiden speech
Maiden speech
A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament.Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country...
on 7 June 2005.http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/cm050607/debtext/50607-15.htm#50607-15_spnew6
She was nominated for House Magazine's 'Maiden Speech of the Year'.
Following the election, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
named her as one of eight new MPs "to watch". One of the few left-wing members of Labour's 2005 intake of MPs, she is a member of the Socialist Campaign Group
Socialist Campaign Group
The Socialist Campaign Group is a left-wing democratic socialist grouping of Labour Party Members of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. It was formed in December 1982 as an alternative Parliamentary left-wing group to the Tribune Group...
and the Scottish Labour Party Campaign for Socialism
Scottish Labour Party Campaign for Socialism
The Campaign for Socialism is a left wing organisation within the Scottish Labour Party. It was formed in the aftermath of the vote within the Labour Party to remove Clause IV from the party's constitution...
; of the twenty-four members of the Campaign Group, she is the only one under the age of 50. Clark quickly established a reputation as a rebel within the Parliamentary Labour Party
Parliamentary Labour Party
In UK politics, the Parliamentary Labour Party is the parliamentary party of the Labour Party in Parliament: Labour MPs as a collective body....
, voting against ID cards. However, she does not consider herself to be a rebel, stating that her "views are consistent with Labour's traditions".http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1588476,00.html
Since being elected she has campaigned against the contracting out of lifeline ferry services in her constituency and for employment and retraining for workers at the Simclar factory in her constituency after the factory closed. She has campaigned consistently on human rights issues and was one of 95 Labour MPs who opposed replacing Britain's Trident nuclear weapons system.
She supported a 'No' vote in the 2011 AV Referendum .
External links
- Her website
- The Labour Party - Katy Clark MP official biography
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Katy Clark MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Katy Clark MP
- BBC Politics page
- The Public Whip - Katy Clark MP voting record