Eleanor Laing
|
Eleanor Laing MP |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means | |
|
Assumed office 16 October 2013 |
|
| Speaker | John Bercow |
| Preceded by | Nigel Evans |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland | |
|
In office 19 May 2005 – 7 December 2005 |
|
| Leader | Michael Howard |
| Preceded by | James Gray |
| Succeeded by | David Mundell |
| Shadow Minister for Women and Equality | |
|
In office 15 March 2004 – 7 December 2005 |
|
| Leader | Michael Howard |
| Preceded by | Caroline Spelman |
| Succeeded by | Theresa May |
|
Member of Parliament for Epping Forest |
|
|
Assumed office 1 May 1997 |
|
| Preceded by | Steven Norris |
| Majority | 15,131 (32.5%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
1 February 1958 Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Alan Laing (Divorced 2002) |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
Eleanor Fulton Laing (née Pritchard, born 1 February 1958) is a British Conservative politician who has represented Epping Forest as the constituency's Member of Parliament since the 1997 general election. In October 2013, fellow MPs elected her as a Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, replacing Nigel Evans.
Laing was born in Paisley, Renfrewshire in 1958 and raised in the nearby village of Elderslie, where her father was a councillor. She attended the local fee paying St Columba's School. In 1976 she left for the University of Edinburgh, graduating with Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees. She was the first female President of the Edinburgh University Students' Association. She worked as a solicitor in Edinburgh and the City of London.
Laing contested Paisley North in the 1987 general election, but was defeated by the Labour incumbent Allen Adams.
When Laing was first elected as the MP for the Epping Forest constituency at the 1997 general election, the seat was reduced to marginal status by the Labour landslide. Before her election she 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 was selected for the Education and Employment Committee, chaired by Labour's Margaret Hodge. She was seen as a rising star in her early career, with good performances in the Commons and strong attacks against Labour.
...
Wikipedia