Helen Liddell
Life peerage | |
---|---|
Member of Parliament for Airdrie and Shotts Monklands East (1994–97) | |
In office 30 June 1994 – 11 April 2005 | |
Preceded by | John Smith |
Succeeded by | John Reid |
Personal details | |
Born | Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, Scotland | 6 December 1950
Political party | Labour |
Spouse |
Alistair Handerson Liddell
(m. 1972) |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater | University of Strathclyde |
Helen Lawrie Liddell, Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke
Early life
Liddell was born to Hugh Reilly, a Catholic, and Bridget Lawrie Reilly, a Protestant.[1][2] She was educated at St. Patrick's Catholic High School in Coatbridge, attending at the same time as John Reid, and graduated from the University of Strathclyde with a BA in Economics.
Early career
Liddell worked as a
Business Interests
Appointed Director of Annington Limited, 1 April 2017. The British Ministry of Defence, as of November 2022, are trying to regain ownership of the housing stock that was sold off to Annington in 1996. As Chair of Annington, Baroness Liddell defended Annington via a letter to the British Defence Secretary saying she was "shocked" by the Government's approach.
Parliamentary career
She first contested the Parliamentary constituency of East Fife at the October 1974 general election.
House of Commons
Liddell was first elected to Parliament in 1994, at the closely contested Monklands East by-election following John Smith's death. She was appointed a Privy Councillor on 27 October 1998.[5]
She was Secretary of State for Scotland from 2001 to 2003, a position whose powers had been transferred to the Scottish Executive after devolution in 1999. In addition, she angered the monks of Buckfast Abbey when she called on them to stop selling Buckfast in Scotland. She was dubbed Minister for Monarch of the Glen after several visits to the set of the hit BBC series.[4]
The disclosure that she was able to work French lessons into her ministerial diary,[6] raised questions about the relevance of Scottish Secretary's job post-devolution. The role was abolished as a full-time position in 2003, when the Scotland Office was rolled into the Department for Constitutional Affairs.
She took up appointment as
House of Lords
On 28 May 2010, it was announced in the Dissolution Honours List that she would be created a life peer.[9] On 7 July, she took the title Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke, of Airdrie in the County of Lanarkshire,[10] six days later becoming a House of Lords member.[11] She is a member of Labour Friends of Israel.[12] In 2010–11 Liddell was a member of the independent Philips inquiry into the 1994 Scotland RAF Chinook crash on the Mull of Kintyre, established by the Secretary of State for Defence.[13]
Personal life
She married Alistair Liddell in 1972; they have one son and one daughter.[14]
Publications
- Liddell, Helen (1990). Elite. Century.
References
- ISBN 978-1-85743-217-6.
- ^ "Helen's secret shocks the Pope". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ "Business News". Coventry Telegraph. 30 March 2001. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011.
- ^ a b "Jackie Ashley meets Helen Liddell, the Scottish secretary". The Guardian. 27 January 2003. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ "Helen Liddell Appointed to Transport Minister Post", Local Government Chronicle, 19 May 1999
- ^ "Helen Do-little". The Daily Telegraph. London. 6 February 2002. Archived from the original on 22 March 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
- ^ Tempest, Matthew (2 April 2004). "Liddell set to be Australian high commissioner". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
- British High Commission, Canberra. 3 July 2009. Archivedfrom the original on 31 August 2011. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
- ^ "Peerages, honours and appointments". 10 Downing Street. 28 May 2010. Archived from the original on 1 June 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
- ^ "No. 59485". The London Gazette. 12 July 2010. p. 13181.
- ^ "Helen Liddell goes to the Lords". BBC News Online. 13 July 2010. Archived from the original on 16 July 2010.
- ^ "LFI Supporters in Parliament". Labour Friends of Israel. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
- ISBN 978-0-1029-5237-7. Archived from the original(PDF) on 31 May 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
- ^ Debrett's People of Today[permanent dead link]
Further reading
- Torrance, David, The Scottish Secretaries (Birlinn 2006)