Hugh Kerr

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Hugh Kerr (born 9 July 1944) is a Scottish politician and a former lecturer in social policy at the

euro-constituency of Essex West & Hertfordshire East
until 1999.

Early life

Kerr was born in Scotland, and educated at

Essex University. He then became a lecturer at the University of North London, with a specialism in European social policy. He joined the Labour Party and served on Harlow District Council.[2]

Surprising win

At the

Baroness Rawlings of Burnham Westgate) for not attending any of the series of pre-election hustings throughout the euro-constituency where local issues had been debated by the other candidates in her absence. [citation needed
]

Old and New Labour

Upon his election in 1994, Kerr based his euro-constituency office in the marginal constituency of

party list
regional system for future European elections, and to stifle any criticism by Labour MEPs.

In a House of Commons debate on 27 November 1997, Kerr was quoted as saying that the gagging "shows that New Labour is increasingly authoritarian and centralised".[3]

The dissident

Kerr was suspended by the National Executive Committee and later expelled from the Labour Party along with fellow dissident Ken Coates MEP, with whom he then formed the Independent Labour Network. He left the Party of European Socialists and joined forces with The Green Group in the European Parliament, becoming the first Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) MEP. At the June 1999 European Parliament election, with voting on the basis of proportional representation throughout the United Kingdom, Kerr was at the top of the SSP's party list for Scotland's seven European seats but the party's share of the vote was too low to secure his re-election as an MEP.

Back to Scotland

After a period living in

2003 Scottish Parliamentary election, Kerr stood as an SSP candidate for the East Lothian
constituency but gained only 1,380 votes (4.42%).

Kerr was no. 3 on the SSP's list of candidates at the June

Scottish Sun newspaper.[7]
On 11 December 2019, one day before the UK general election, Kerr pleaded to the Scottish people to vote tactically for the SNP to “keep the Tories out of power”.

He was a defence witness in HM Advocate v Sheridan and Sheridan.[8]

He currently writes on opera for Scottish arts website The Wee Review.[9]

In March 2021 he joined the Alba Party.[10]

References

  1. ^ Labour's Social Policy 1974-79. Critical Social Policy 1981 1: 5
  2. .
  3. ^ "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 25 Nov 1997 (Pt 19)". www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 November 2003. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  4. ^ "BBC NEWS | Election 2005 | Results | Kilmarnock & Loudoun". news.bbc.co.uk.
  5. ^ "Solidarity Party man Hugh Kerr defects to SNP". BBC News. 15 November 2011.
  6. ^ "Sheridan spin doctor defects to SNP". The Scotsman. 15 November 2011. Archived from the original on 4 October 2017.
  7. ^ Sanderson, Daniel (3 May 2016). "Former MEP quits SNP over Sturgeon's 'endorsement' of The Sun". The Herald. Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  8. ^ Doleman, James (3 December 2010). "The Sheridan Trial: Hugh Kerr".
  9. ^ "Hugh Kerr - Author". The Wee Review.
  10. ^ "Alba urged to draft defence and foreign policy strategies ahead of national council". The National. 27 October 2021.

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of the European Parliament for Essex West & Hertfordshire East
19941999
Constituency abolished
(see East of England)