Jackie Baillie

Jackie Baillie
MSP
Scottish Labour Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work
In office
26 June 2018 – 4 October 2018
Leader Richard Leonard
Preceded by James Kelly (Finance and the Constitution)
Succeeded by Richard Leonard
Leader of the Scottish Labour Party
Acting
In office
15 November 2017 – 18 November 2017
Preceded by Alex Rowley (Acting)
Succeeded by Richard Leonard
In office
24 October 2014 – 13 December 2014
Preceded by Johann Lamont
Succeeded by Kezia Dugdale
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Dumbarton
Assumed office
6 May 1999
Preceded by Constituency established
Majority 109 (0.3%)
Personal details
Born Jacqueline Marie Barnes
(1964-01-15) 15 January 1964
Hong Kong
Political party Labour
Spouse(s) Husband (Separated)
Children 1 daughter
Alma mater Cumbernauld College
University of Strathclyde
University of Glasgow

Jacqueline Marie "Jackie" Baillie (born 15 January 1964, Hong Kong) is a Scottish Labour Party politician serving as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Dumbarton since 1999. She served as Labour's Economy, Fair Work and Jobs spokesperson from December 2017 to June 2018. Following the reshuffle of the Second Sturgeon government and the merger of the Finance and Economy portfolios, Baillie was appointed as spokesperson for Finance, Economy and Fair Work. Baillie was sacked from the position and from the Shadow Cabinet on 4 October 2018.

Background

Baillie was born on 15 January 1964 in Hong Kong to Sophie and Frank Barnes.[1] Her mother is Scottish and her father Portuguese. She attended the private St Anne's School, Windermere in the Lake District. She studied at Cumbernauld College, Strathclyde University and the University of Glasgow.

She married Stephen Baillie in 1982.[1] Baillie lives in Dumbarton with her daughter.

Early career

Baillie has been a resource centre manager at Strathkelvin District Council and a community economic development manager at East Dunbartonshire Council. She was chair of the Scottish Labour Party in 1997.[2]

Member of the Scottish Parliament

She was first elected at the inaugural election for the Scottish Parliament in May 1999. She was re-elected in 2003. A member of the Scottish Parliament's Justice 2 Committee and Public Petitions Committee, she was previously a member of the Scottish Executive, serving as Minister for Social Justice when Henry McLeish was First Minister, during which time she was involved with the Homelessness Task Force.[3]

As a backbench MSP she has campaigned for a public inquiry into a lethal outbreak of Clostridium difficile at the Vale of Leven Hospital. In 2007 she defended Wendy Alexander on Newsnight Scotland during the controversy regarding illegal donations to Alexander's leadership campaign.[4]

In 2009 she successfully brought into being an act of the Scottish Parliament, with the unanimous support of all MSPs, to allow for greater protection of disabled parking spaces.

She has opposed minimum pricing of alcohol, being unconvinced about the overall benefits,[5] and stating that it was not the best way of tackling the country's alcohol-related problems but has backed a tax-based alternative amongst other measures.[6]

Baillie held the position of Shadow Health Minister in the Shadow Cabinet of Iain Gray, retaining that post in December 2011 following the election of Johann Lamont as Gray's successor.[7][8] When Lamont announced a major shakeup of the Labour frontbench team on 28 June 2013, Baillie was moved from Health to Social Justice and Welfare.[9]

On 27 March 2014, she stood in for Lamont at First Minister's Questions while Lamont was attending the funeral of veteran Labour politician Tony Benn.[10] She also stood in at FMQs following Lamont's resignation as Labour leader in October 2014.[11] Baillie ruled herself out of standing in the leadership election that followed Lamont's departure, stating that she wanted a "supporting role" rather than to be Labour leader.[12]

She has campaigned on behalf of the families of patients affected by an outbreak of Clostridium difficile colitis at Vale of Leven Hospital in her constituency. The inquiry into the outbreak cost £10 million, while the families were offered £1m, something that prompted Baillie to make an emotional plea to Health Secretary Shona Robison during a session of the Scottish Parliament in November 2014 during which she pressed for greater compensation for those affected.[13]

In December, 2017, Baillie was reduced to tears when raising the concern of fire safety following the deaths of two men in the Cameron House blaze [14]

References

  1. 1 2 Who's who (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2017.
  2. ↑ "Visit & Learn : Scottish Parliament". Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  3. ↑ "Task force homes in on homelessness" Archived 27 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine. BBC News, 25 August 1999
  4. ↑ Newsnight Scotland interview Archived 30 July 2016 at the Wayback Machine. BBC, 3 December 2007
  5. ↑ Macleod, Angus (29 October 2009). "SNP left high and dry as Labour rejects minimum alcohol pricing". The Times. Times Newspapers. Archived from the original on 2 June 2010. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
  6. ↑ "Scots 'drink 46 bottles of vodka'". BBC News. 17 January 2010. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
  7. ↑ "New Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont unveils front-bench". STV news. 19 December 2011. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  8. ↑ "Johann Lamont hands finance role to rival Ken Macintosh". BBC News. 19 December 2011. Archived from the original on 13 January 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  9. ↑ "Johann Lamont in Scottish Labour front bench shake-up". BBC News. 28 June 2013. Archived from the original on 1 July 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  10. ↑ Taylor, Brian (27 March 2014). "First minister's questions: Getting the last word". BBC News. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  11. ↑ "Labour accuses Salmond over NHS". The Courier (Dundee). 30 October 2014. Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  12. ↑ Carrell, Severin; Brooks, Libby (27 October 2014). "Anas Sarwar rules out Scottish Labour leadership bid". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 November 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  13. ↑ "MSP Jackie Baillie's tears over C. diff hospital deaths". BBC News. 25 November 2014. Archived from the original on 25 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  14. ↑ BBC Baillie Asks Questions About Cameron House Deaths https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-42446715/tearful-jackie-baillie-asks-question-about-cameron-house-deaths
Scottish Parliament
New constituency Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Dumbarton
1999–present		 Incumbent
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