David Cairns (politician)
| David Cairns | |
|---|---|
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| Minister of State for Scotland | |
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In office 1 July 2007 – 16 September 2008 |
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| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
| Preceded by | George Foulkes, Baron Foulkes of Cumnock |
| Succeeded by | Ann McKechin |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Scotland Office | |
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In office 11 May 2005 – July 2007 |
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| Prime Minister |
Tony Blair Gordon Brown |
| Preceded by | Anne McGuire |
| Succeeded by | Ann McKechin |
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Member of Parliament for Inverclyde Greenock and Inverclyde (2001–2005) |
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In office 7 June 2001 – 9 May 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Norman Godman |
| Succeeded by | Iain McKenzie |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
7 August 1966 Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland |
| Died | 9 May 2011 (aged 44) Bloomsbury, London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater | Pontifical Gregorian University |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
John David Cairns (7 August 1966 – 9 May 2011) was a Scottish Labour Party politician, who was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 2001 until his death. He represented the constituency of Inverclyde. He was the Minister of State at the Scotland Office until he resigned on 16 September 2008. He died from complications of acute pancreatitis on 9 May 2011, aged 44.
Cairns was born and raised in Greenock. He attended Notre Dame High School in the town, before training for the Roman Catholic priesthood at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He continued his studies at the Franciscan International Centre in Canterbury.
From 1991 he served as a priest in Scotland and in London before politics drew him to leave the priesthood in 1994 to become a director of the Christian Socialist Movement. In 1997 he became a research assistant to then newly elected Labour MP, Siobhain McDonagh until he himself became an MP in 2001. In 1998 he was elected as a councillor in the London Borough of Merton where he served until 2002.
Cairns had ambitions to enter House of Commons but was barred due to the House of Commons (Clergy Disqualification) Act 1801 and the Catholic Relief Act 1829 which prevented present or former Roman Catholic priests from being elected to Parliament. To rectify this, Siobhain McDonagh MP introduced the House of Commons Disqualification (Amendment) Bill in Parliament on 16 June 1999, but the Bill failed. The government subsequently introduced the House of Commons (Removal of Clergy Disqualification) Bill, which removed almost all restrictions on clergy of whatever denomination from sitting in the House of Commons. The only exception is Church of England (Anglican) bishops, due to their reserved status as members of the House of Lords. The bill passed on 11 May 2001.
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