Sheila Gilmore
Encyclopedia
Sheila Gilmore is a British
Labour Party
politician
, who has been the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Edinburgh East
since 2010. Gilmore stood for the seat following the decision of Gavin Strang
MP to stand down; she is a former City of Edinburgh councillor.
in 1949. She moved to Edinburgh
in 1956. She studied History and Politics at the University of Kent at Canterbury. After graduating she undertook a post-graduate teaching qualification at the University of Edinburgh
. She then taught for two years in Glasgow
and Dunfermline
.
Gilmore then returned to the University of Edinburgh
to study law. Upon graduating she worked for the Scottish Consumer Council as a Legal Advisory Officer. She then went on to work for a private law practice in Edinburgh focusing on family law. She represented clients receiving legal aid in cases involving divorce, domestic abuse, child protection and adoption.
as a teenager and was elected in an Edinburgh District Council by-election for Moredun ward in 1991. She was appointed Convenor for Housing in 1999. She retained this position until she stood down from the council in 2007. Gilmore's proposal to transfer all the council's housing to a new housing association was defeated in a referendum.
constituency of Edinburgh Pentlands
in the 2007 Scottish Parliament elections, but came second to the Conservative Party
candidate David McLetchie
.
The selection process was triggered by the announcement by the incument MP, Gavin Strang
, that he would not be seeking re-election at the forthcoming general election.
The 2010 election was held on 6 May 2010, and Gilmore was one of six candidates for the Edinburgh East seat. She received 17,314 votes, which was 43% share and a majority of 9,181.
and have four grown up children.
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...
Labour Party
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
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, 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 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....
since 2010. Gilmore stood for the seat following the decision of Gavin Strang
Gavin Strang
Gavin Steel Strang is a British politician who served in the House of Commons for forty years , 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...
MP to stand down; she is a former City of Edinburgh councillor.
Childhood and early career
Gilmore was born in AberdeenAberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
in 1949. She moved to 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...
in 1956. She studied History and Politics at the University of Kent at Canterbury. After graduating she undertook a post-graduate teaching qualification 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...
. She then taught for two years in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and Dunfermline
Dunfermline
Dunfermline is a town and former Royal Burgh in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. According to a 2008 estimate, Dunfermline has a population of 46,430, making it the second-biggest settlement in Fife. Part of the town's name comes from the Gaelic word...
.
Gilmore then returned to 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...
to study law. Upon graduating she worked for the Scottish Consumer Council as a Legal Advisory Officer. She then went on to work for a private law practice in Edinburgh focusing on family law. She represented clients receiving legal aid in cases involving divorce, domestic abuse, child protection and adoption.
City of Edinburgh Council
Gilmore was a member of the Scottish Labour PartyScottish Labour Party
The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
as a teenager and was elected in an Edinburgh District Council by-election for Moredun ward in 1991. She was appointed Convenor for Housing in 1999. She retained this position until she stood down from the council in 2007. Gilmore's proposal to transfer all the council's housing to a new housing association was defeated in a referendum.
2007 Scottish Parliament elections
Gilmore stood for the Scottish ParliamentScottish 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...
constituency of Edinburgh Pentlands
Edinburgh Pentlands (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh Pentlands is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
in the 2007 Scottish Parliament elections, but came second to the Conservative Party
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...
candidate David McLetchie
David McLetchie
David McLetchie is a Scottish politician, currently a Scottish Conservative and Unionist Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Lothian electoral region...
.
2010 general election
In April 2009, Sheila Gilmore was selected as Labour's candidate for the Westminster constituency of Edinburgh East from an all-woman shortlist. Gilmore beat lawyer Catriona Munro, City of Edinburgh councillors Norma Hart and Angela Blacklock, and local party activitist Karen Doran.The selection process was triggered by the announcement by the incument MP, Gavin Strang
Gavin Strang
Gavin Steel Strang is a British politician who served in the House of Commons for forty years , 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...
, that he would not be seeking re-election at the forthcoming general election.
The 2010 election was held on 6 May 2010, and Gilmore was one of six candidates for the Edinburgh East seat. She received 17,314 votes, which was 43% share and a majority of 9,181.
Family
Gilmore is married to Brian Gilmore. They live in EdinburghEdinburgh
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 have four grown up children.
External links
- Interview after winning her seat in 2010 at Catch21Catch21Catch21 is a charitable production company and internet based broadcaster which organises and stages shows all over the UK with the key aim of engaging young people with politics, the concept was initially devised by a group of current and former students of the University of Hull.The organisation...