Gillian Merron
Shriti Vadera | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Ivan Lewis | ||||||||||||||||
| Minister for the East Midlands | |||||||||||||||||
| In office 28 June 2007 – 25 January 2008 | |||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown | ||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Office established | ||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Phil Hope | ||||||||||||||||
| Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office | |||||||||||||||||
| In office 28 June 2007 – 24 January 2008 | |||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown | ||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Pat McFadden | ||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Tom Watson | ||||||||||||||||
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport | |||||||||||||||||
| In office 8 May 2006 – 27 June 2007 | |||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Tony Blair | ||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Karen Buck | ||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Jim Fitzpatrick | ||||||||||||||||
| Lord Commissioner of the Treasury | |||||||||||||||||
| In office 17 December 2004 – 8 May 2006 | |||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Tony Blair | ||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Derek Twigg | ||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Claire Ward | ||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | 12 April 1959 Ilford, Essex, England | ||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Labour | ||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Lancaster University | ||||||||||||||||
| Awards |  Life peer | ||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  | ||||||||||||||||
Gillian Joanna Merron, Baroness Merron (born 12 April 1959) is a British politician and
Early life and career
Merron was born in
Merron joined the Labour Party in 1984. Before becoming an MP, Merron was the vice-chair for the regional Labour Party executive.[1] She coordinated the shadow cabinet central region campaign in the 1992 general election and the 1994 European Parliament election.
Parliamentary career
Merron was made a
From June 2001 to October 2002, Merron served as PPS to John Reid as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. From October 2002 to May 2006, she was a government whip and was a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury from December 2004. At the 2005 general election, her majority was 4,613.
Merron was appointed to the Department for Transport in May 2006, where she worked until the reshuffle on 29 June 2007, when she became Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office and the first ever minister of the East Midlands.
Following
Merron followed the party whip in votes on equal gay rights, the hunting ban, foundation hospitals, a ban on smoking in public places, the Iraq war, preventative laws to stop climate change, and The Digital Economy Bill.[3] She lost her seat to the Conservative candidate Karl McCartney in the 2010 general election. From 1997 until 2007, when Quentin Davies defected to the Labour Party, she had been Lincolnshire's only Labour MP – and the first since Margaret Beckett had the seat from 1974 to 1979.
Expenses
Merron’s expenses as an MP were higher than average.
| Year | Total Expenses | Ranking | out of |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001/02 | £94,459 | joint 178th | 657 |
| 2002/03 | £123,954 | 87th | 657 |
| 2003/04 | £136,706 | 55th | 658 |
| 2004/05 | £139,854 | 64th | 659 |
| 2005/06 | £133,480 | - | - |
| 2006/07 | £144,914 | 176th | 645 |
| 2007/08 | £155,972 | 172nd | 645 |
On 19 June 2009, MPs' expenses were revealed (heavily edited) on the internet. Merron received criticism for purchasing a television, television stand, home theatre kit, and numerous other goods.[7] She wrote on her website: "The majority of claims I make directly pay for professional staff, office costs, communication with constituents, and travel. I do not have a second job, do not employ any family members or friends, nor have I taken the annual increase in ministerial salary."[8]
In the aftermath of the
Post-parliamentary career
Since her defeat at the 2010 general election, Merron has become Chair of Bus Users UK[11] (formerly known as The National Federation of Bus Users).[12]
In May 2014, it was announced that Merron would become Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews the following July.[13][14] Since February 2013, she has served as a Vice-President of the Jewish Leadership Council.[15] She served as external affairs officer on the board of Liberal Judaism from July 2012 to May 2014.[16]
House of Lords
In December 2020, it was announced Merron would be conferred a
In the May shadow cabinet reshuffle, she was appointed to the Shadow Health Team. In the November shadow cabinet reshuffle, she became Shadow Culture Minister.[18]
As part of the coronation of King Charles III, Baroness Merron presented the imperial mantle as a representative of the Jewish community.
Personal life
Merron, who is Vice-President of Liberal Judaism, is a member of the South London Liberal Synagogue and of the Lincolnshire Jewish Community.[19]
References
- ^ Gillian Merron MP – Working for Lincoln – About Your MP Archived 17 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Rentoul, John; Stephen Ward; Donald MacIntyre (9 January 1996). "Labour blow as all-women lists outlawed". The Independent. London. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
- ^ Gillian Merron MP, Lincoln (TheyWorkForYou.com)
- ^ "Gillian Merron MP". TheyWorkForYou. mySociety is a project of UK Citizens Online Democracy (UKCOD). UKCOD is a registered charity in England and Wales, no. 1076346. Retrieved 12 May 2009.
- ^ "How your MP voted on the FOI Bill". The Times. London. 20 May 2007. Archived from the original on 8 May 2009. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
- ^ Policy #996: "Transparency of Parliament" — The Public Whip
- ^ 'I will do what I always do, my best for Lincoln'
- ^ http://www.gillianmerron.co.uk/mps-allowances[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Expenses: The MPs paying over £1K". politics.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012.
- ^ Cohen, Justin (7 May 2014). "Former Foreign Office minister appointed to lead the Board". Jewish News. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ^ "New Chair for Bus Users UK". Bus Users UK website. Shepperton, Middlesex: Bus Users UK. 4 April 2011. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
[Gillian Merron] is now a strategic advisor to the transport industry and will be bringing new strategic direction to Bus Users UK.
, - ^ As of 23 April 2012[update] the name "Bus Users UK" appears on the official register of companies.
- ^ Rocker, Simon (7 May 2014). "Board of Deputies new chief executive revealed". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ^ "Chief Executive : Gillian Merron". Board of Deputies of British Jews. Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ^ "New Jewish Leadership Council members". The Jewish Chronicle. 15 February 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ^ Rocker, Simon (12 July 2012). "Ex-MP joins Liberal Judaism board". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ^ "Political Peerages 2020". Gov.uk. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- ^ Rodgers, Sienna (4 December 2021). "Keir Starmer unveils new frontbench team after wider reshuffle". LabourList. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
- ^ "News from across Progressive Judaism". Movement for Reform Judaism. July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
External links
