Aileen Campbell
Aileen Campbell | |||||||||||||||||
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Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government | |||||||||||||||||
In office 26 June 2018 – 20 May 2021 | |||||||||||||||||
First Minister | Nicola Sturgeon | ||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Angela Constance | ||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Shona Robison | ||||||||||||||||
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Personal details | |||||||||||||||||
Born | Perth, Scotland | 18 May 1980||||||||||||||||
Political party | Scottish National Party | ||||||||||||||||
Spouse | Graham Fraser White | ||||||||||||||||
Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
Alma mater | University of Glasgow | ||||||||||||||||
Aileen Elizabeth Campbell (born 18 May 1980) is a Scottish football administrator and former politician who has served as the chief executive of
Born and raised in
After Campbell's re-election to the
Early life
Campbell was born on 18 May 1980 in
Member of the Scottish Parliament
At the 2007 Scottish Parliament election, Campbell was the SNP candidate for the Clydesdale constituency where she finished second but was subsequently elected as an additional member for the South of Scotland region due to her being fifth on the SNP's regional list.
Campbell suffered a minor injury on 23 January 2008, receiving medical treatment at
In early 2009, Campbell launched the "Play it again" scheme with the Scottish Arts Council and others to encourage people across Scotland to donate their unwanted and unloved musical instruments to be passed on to children across the country to give them the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of music.[11][12] Campbell was nominated for Real Radio's "Best New Scottish Politician 2009 Award".[13]
Campbell was elected as MSP for Clydesdale on 5 May 2011 after receiving an 8.9% swing from Labour, giving her a majority of 4,216.
She served as
In the 2016 election she was re-elected as the MSP for Clydesdale with an increased majority.[7]
On 18 May 2016 she was moved to the post of Minister for Public Health and Sport in a reshuffle;[6] as part of her role as Public Health Minister she oversaw a 22% cut in government funding to drug and alcohol rehabilitation programmes from £69.2 million to £53.8 million. At the time, Scottish Drugs Forum Chief Executive David Liddell said he was concerned that the cuts had "the potential to increase harm and drug-related deaths."[15] That year 867 Scots lost their lives to drugs – an increase of 23% on the previous year's figures – and the SNP insisted it was part of a trend seen across much Europe.[16] In December 2020 figures were released revealing that 1,264 people in Scotland had died from drug overdoses in 2019 – the highest number in Europe per head and more than double the number in 2014.[17] Sturgeon sacked Campbell's successor as Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick and in April 2021 said of the crisis: "I think we [the Scottish Government] took our eye off the ball."[18]
She was made
In February 2020 Campbell wrote to MSPs voicing concerns about a Labour party proposal to provide women and trans men in Scotland with free sanitary products. Campbell said the Scottish Government had “grave concerns” over the plans' “deliverability” and cost. She also said she was worried about "people outside Scotland seeking access to the products".[20]
On 8 March 2020, she announced that she would step down at the next election to spend more time with her family.[8]
Football
After leaving politics, Campbell was appointed as chief executive of Scottish Women's Football, the governing body of women's football in Scotland, in August 2021. On her first day in the role, she had to deal with the withdrawal of Forfar Farmington F.C. from the Scottish Women's Premier League.[21]
Personal life
Campbell married Graham Fraser White in Collace Kirk, Perthshire, on 15 August 2009.[22]
See also
- Government of the 3rd Scottish Parliament
- Government of the 4th Scottish Parliament
References
- ^ a b Buie, Elizabeth (13 January 2012). "Aileen Campbell". TES. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ^ a b "SNP names Holyrood candidate". Carluke Gazette. 28 June 2006. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- ^ a b "Aileen Campbell". The SNP. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- ^ a b "Minister for Public Health and Sport - gov.scot". beta.gov.scot. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- ^ a b "New ministerial line-up unveiled" (Press release). Scottish Government. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- ^ a b "Who is in the 2016 Scottish cabinet?". BBC News. 18 May 2016.
- ^ a b "Clydesdale goes with the flow in election". Carluke Gazette. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ^ a b "SNP minister Aileen Campbell quits for better 'work-life balance'". 8 March 2020 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "MSP returns despite soup incident". BBC News. 23 January 2008.
- ^ "Scots budget clears first hurdle". BBC News. 23 January 2008.
- ^ "Musical cast-offs play it again". BBC News. 2 January 2009.
- ^ "Franz Ferdinand bassist in call for old instruments". The Herald. 2 January 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
- ^ Real Radio
- ^ "Previous MSPs: Session 4: Campbell, Aileen". Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ^ "Health boards told to fill £15 million cut in funding for drug and alcohol care".
- ^ "Drug deaths in Scotland rose by 23% in 2016". BBC News. 15 August 2017.
- ^ "Scotland's drug deaths rise to new record". BBC News. 15 December 2020. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
- ^ "Sturgeon: We took our eye off the ball on drug deaths". HeraldScotland. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
- ^ Boothman, John (1 July 2018). "Sturgeon's reshuffle blindsided by transphobic blog made by Gillian Martin, her pick for junior education minister". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
- ^ Hutcheon, Paul (11 February 2020). "SNP Government criticised for "tampon raid" fear in opposing period poverty Bill". Daily Record.
- ^ "Time to 'awaken women to football'". BBC Sport. 23 August 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ "Salmond sends wedding wish". Edinburgh Evening News. 15 August 2009. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
External links
- Scottish Parliament profiles of MSPs: Aileen Campbell
- Personal website
- Daily Record Coverage of Play it Again
- Scotsman Coverage of Play it Again[permanent dead link]