Cara Hilton

Cara Hilton
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Dunfermline
In office
25 October 2013 – 24 March 2016
Preceded by Bill Walker
Succeeded by Shirley-Anne Somerville
Personal details
Nationality Scottish
Political party Scottish Labour Party
Residence Dunfermline

Cara Laura Hilton is a Scottish Labour Party politician, who was the Member of the Scottish Parliament for Dunfermline from 2013 to 2016.[1]

Personal life

She is the daughter of former Labour MSP Cathy Peattie.[2] Her husband is Simon, and she has three children.

Political career

Hilton was the Labour candidate at the Dunfermline by-election on 20 October 2013. She won by a majority of more than 2,800 votes, overturning a previous SNP majority of 590. This was the first time ever that Labour had won a parliamentary seat (in either the UK or Scottish parliaments) from the SNP at a by-election.

In her victory speech, Hilton praised the courage of preceding MSP Bill Walker's ex-wives. Walker's conviction for assault against his former wives had led to his resignation from parliament, causing the by-election.[3] Alex Salmond accused her of running a dishonest campaign, including the circulation of a leaflet criticised by the SNP as "demonstrably untrue".[4]

In the Scottish Parliament election of 2016, Hilton lost her seat to the SNP's Shirley-Anne Somerville, who she had previously defeated at the by-election three years earlier. Along with the loss of the neighbouring Cowdenbeath constituency, this left the Labour Party without parliamentary representation in Fife for the first time since 1910.

Hilton was the Labour Party candidate for Dumfermline and West Fife at the 2017 General Election, where she came second behind the incumbent Douglas Chapman of the SNP by 844 votes.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Labour and SNP pick Dunfermline by-election candidates". BBC News. Retrieved 2013-09-19.
  2. ↑ "Cara Hilton picked as Labour candidate for Dunfermline by-election". STV News. Retrieved 2013-09-19.
  3. ↑ "New Dunfermline MSP praises 'bravery' of Bill Walker's ex-wives". 25 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  4. ↑ "Labour campaign leaflet brings claims of panic". 22 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  5. ↑ "Dunfermline & West Fife parliamentary constituency - Election 2017". BBC News. Retrieved 2017-09-24.


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