Linda Riordan
| Linda Riordan | |
|---|---|
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Member of Parliament for Halifax |
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In office 5 May 2005 – 30 March 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Alice Mahon |
| Succeeded by | Holly Lynch |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Linda June Haigh 31 May 1953 Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour Co-operative |
| Spouse(s) | Alan Riordan (died 2007) |
| Alma mater | University of Bradford |
| Website | www |
Linda June Riordan (née Haigh; 31 May 1953) is an English Labour Co-operative politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Halifax from the 2005 general election until standing down in 2015.
Riordan was born in Halifax and graduated from the University of Bradford. She served as a Calderdale councillor for eleven years, representing the Ovenden ward from 1995 to 2006, when she stood down to devote herself full-time to her role as an MP. She worked as private secretary for her predecessor as Halifax's Labour MP Alice Mahon between 2001 and 2005, and was active in the local Co-operative Party as secretary and treasurer. She was chosen as the Labour candidate from an all-women shortlist but her candidature was at first opposed by the Party's ruling National Executive Committee owing to concerns about selection process. She was later allowed to stand.
Riordan was elected in 2005 and returned to Parliament with a reduced majority in 2010
She served on various select committees including the Justice Committee, the Procedure Committee, the Environmental Audit Select Committee, the European Scrutiny Committee and the all-Party Crossrail Committee. She was one of 16 signatories of an open letter to Ed Miliband in January 2015 calling on the party to commit to oppose further austerity, take rail franchises back into public ownership and strengthen collective bargaining arrangements In February 2015 she announced that she would be standing down at general election in May, citing ill health.
In December 2010 it was revealed that Riordan had secretly repaid £105.86 in wrongly claimed expenses. The repayment came about after Riordan had used House of Commons stationery for party political purposes. Riordan apologised, blaming volunteers for the incident.
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