Eleanor Laing

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Eleanor Laing MP
Shadow Justice Minister
In office
2007–2010
Leader David Cameron
Member of Parliament
for Epping Forest
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 May 1997
Preceded by Steven Norris
Majority 15,131 (32.5%)
Personal details
Born 1 February 1958 (1958-02-01) (age 53)
Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland
Nationality British
Political party Conservative
Spouse(s) Alan Laing (div. 2002)
Alma mater University of Edinburgh

Eleanor Fulton Laing, née Pritchard, (born 1 February 1958) is a British politician. She is Conservative Member of Parliament for Epping Forest, and was first elected in 1997.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Laing was born in Paisley, Renfrewshire in 1958 and raised in the nearby village of Kilmacolm, where she attended the local St Columba's School. In 1976, she left for the University of Edinburgh, graduating with Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws qualifications.[1] She was the first female President of the Edinburgh University Students' Association. She worked as a solicitor in Edinburgh and the City of London.

[edit] Parliamentary career

Laing contested Paisley North in the 1987 general election.

When Laing was first elected to the Epping Forest constituency in 1997, the seat had been reduced to marginal status by the Labour landslide. Before election, she had had been offered support by Malcolm Rifkind and was generally considered to be a Europhile. Once in Parliament, she appeared to sign up to the Eurosceptic-wing of the party, first supporting Michael Howard then William Hague for the Conservative leadership. After the election she sat on the Education and Employment Committee, chaired by Labour Margaret Hodge although apparently attended none of its sessions. She was seen as a rising star in her early career, with good performances in the Commons and strong attacks against Labour.

She was a strong critic of devolution, and attacked the government on many of the details of the transfer of power. In December 2000 she was appointed as opposition Scottish spokeswoman.

In 2001 the seat returned to safe status with a 19.8% majority. In 2005, she increased that majority to 32%. She has an interest in education, transport, economic policy, constitution and devolution. In 2008 she was one of 172 MPs who voted to preserve what critics call a lax and over-generous system of Parliamentary expenses which permit Members of Parliament to claim for expenses without producing receipts.

After the 2010 General Election, and the return of the Conservatives to power, Laing received no post in the government, and now sits on the backbenches.

[edit] Past and present positions

[edit] All-women shortlists

Laing voiced her disagreement with all-women shortlists in 1997, calling it a 'millstone round your neck' for those who were selected by that process.

[edit] Hunting

In November 1997 she voted against a hunting ban in a Commons debate.

[edit] Gay Rights

In a Commons debate in June 1998 Laing sponsored the motion for lowering the homosexual age of consent to 16, saying 'Nothing that is being proposed tonight is in any way encouraging physical sexual activity among young people before they are sufficiently mature.' She differed with many of her Conservative colleagues, saying 'It is nonsense to say that there cannot be equality between 16-year-old boys and 16-year-old girls. Young people need protection, but young people are not protected by being made into criminals.' She opposed fellow Tories such as Nicholas Winterton who said that 'a homosexual act is unnatural', and replied that it did not challenge Christian teaching, and that the bill was not legalising anything which did not already go on.

While bishops were told to vote against an equal gay rights law in March 2007, Laing spoke in favour of the law arguing that that "her brand of Christianity" preached "live and let live".

[edit] 38 Degrees

Eleanor Laing complained about 38 Degrees for allowing members to send "clone emails"[2]. In a "Speaker's Debate", Laing complained that "we have to be very careful about who we are listening to out there... I always worry about that tyranny of the vocal minority against the silent majority, and last week I had some very nasty emails telling me that I didn't have the courage to vote against my government ... I'm talking about an organization called 38 Degrees which floods our systems with emails, the same email over and over again hundreds of times; people don't even put their full name and address so they cannot be identified as real people. It is cowardly to hide behind the anonymity of an email, which has been proposed by someone else for the purpose. 38 Degrees is for the purpose of bringing down the system".

[edit] MPs' expenses scandal

Main article: Disclosure of expenses of British Members of Parliament

After details of MP's expense claims were released in the press, it was shown that Laing had avoided paying £180,000 Capital gains tax on the sale of her Westminster flat by declaring it as her primary residence. However, she had registered the flat as her second home with the Parliamentary Fees Office, and by doing so had claimed through her Additional Costs Allowance some of the interest due on her mortgage. Her constituency is Epping Forest, which is close to London and less than an hour's journey by tube. When questioned she said that prior to the sale of the flat she had sought the advice of her solicitor. Laing was cleared by the Legg Inquiry.[3][4]; nonetheless, she voluntarily repaid £25,000 [5]. As a result of the scandal she also had to face an attempt to deselect her by her constituency party, led by the Leader of Essex Council - which she survived [6].

[edit] Private life

Laing has one son, born in June 2001. She married Alan Laing in 1983 and divorced in 2002. Her turbulent private life has attracted press comment on occasion [7]

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.st-columbas.org/UserFiles/COLUMBAN%20DECEMBER%2008(1).pdf
  2. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0170424/Parliament_Week_The_Speakers_Debate/
  3. ^ MPs expenses: Eleanor Laing didn't pay capital gains tax on second home, The Telegraph, 30 May 2009
  4. ^ "MPs who claimed for 'phantom mortages' [sic] should feel full force of the law, says Cameron". London: mailonline. 30 May 2009. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1189679/Im-ashamed-expenses-scandal-reveals-Cameron-Tory-leader-says-MPs-face-force-law.html. Retrieved 2009-05-30. 
  5. ^ Hamilton, Fiona. The Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6875270.ece. 
  6. ^ Swaine, Jon (27 October 2009). "MPs expenses: Eleanor Laing reselected". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/6442038/MPs-expenses-Eleanor-Laing-reselected.html. 
  7. ^ . http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_20020414/ai_n12839795/. [dead link]

[edit] External links

[edit] News items

[edit] Audio clips

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Steven Norris		 Member of Parliament for Epping Forest
1997–present		 Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
James Gray		 Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
May 2005 – December 2005		 Succeeded by
David Mundell
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