Member of the Scottish Parliament
Which position did Jackie Baillie hold from May 2007 to Mar 2011?
Jackie Baillie Jacqueline Marie Baillie ( Barnes ; born 15 January 1964 ) is a Scottish politician who has served as Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party since 2020 . She has been Member of the Scottish Parliament ( MSP ) for the Dumbarton constituency since 1999 . She also served as acting Leader of the Scottish Labour Party in 2017 and again in 2021 . Born in British Hong Kong , Baillie was educated at St Annes School , Windermere before studying at Cumbernauld College and the University of Strathclyde . After working in local government , she was elected at the 1999 Scottish Parliament election and served in the Scottish Executive as Minister for Social Justice under Henry McLeish . In December 2014 , she was appointed as Scottish Labour Spokesperson for Finance , Constitution and Economy ; later Economy , Jobs and Fair Work . After Kezia Dugdale resigned as Leader of the Scottish Labour Party and acting leader Alex Rowley was suspended , Baillie served as acting leader until Richard Leonard was elected as Scottish Labour leader in 2017 . She was sacked by Leonard as economy spokesperson in October 2018 , who also replaced her in the role . After she was elected Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party , Leonard reappointed Baillie to his Shadow Cabinet as Scottish Labour Spokesperson for Finance in April 2020 . She again served as acting Scottish Labour leader for six weeks following Leonards resignation in January 2021 . Early life and career . Baillie was born on 15 January 1964 in British Hong Kong to Sophie and Frank Barnes . Her mother is Scottish and her father Portuguese . After education at the private St Annes School , Windermere in the Lake District , she studied at Cumbernauld College and the University of Strathclyde . She went on to work as a resource centre manager at Strathkelvin District Council and a community economic development manager at East Dunbartonshire Council . Political career . Scottish Executive : 1999–2007 . Baillie was chair of Scottish Labour in 1997 . She was first elected at the inaugural election for the Scottish Parliament in May 1999 . A member of the Scottish Executive , she served as Minister for Social Justice when Henry McLeish was First Minister of Scotland , during which time she was involved with the Homelessness Task Force . She was re-elected in 2003 and became a member of the Scottish Parliaments Justice 2 Committee and Public Petitions Committee . Opposition : 2007–2020 . In December 2007 , Baillie defended Labour leader Wendy Alexander on Newsnight Scotland , during the controversy regarding alleged illegal donations to Alexanders leadership campaign . In 2009 , Baillie successfully brought into being an act of the Scottish Parliament , with the unanimous support of all MSPs , to allow for greater protection of disabled parking spaces . Baillie has opposed minimum pricing of alcohol , being unconvinced about the overall benefits . In 2010 , she stated it would not be the best way of tackling the countrys alcohol-related problems but instead backed a tax-based alternative amongst other measures . The legislation was passed setting a minimum unit pricing floor price for a unit of alcohol of 50 pence per unit . Baillie held the position of Scottish Labour Spokesperson for Health in the Shadow Cabinet of Iain Gray , retaining the post in December 2011 following the election of Johann Lamont as Grays successor . When Lamont announced a major shakeup of the Labour frontbench team on 28 June 2013 , Baillie was moved from Health to Scottish Labour Spokesperson for Social Justice and Welfare . On 27 March 2014 , Baillie stood in for Johann Lamont at First Ministers Questions while Lamont was attending the funeral of veteran Labour politician Tony Benn . She also stood in at FMQs following Lamonts resignation as Labour leader in October 2014 . Baillie ruled herself out of standing in the leadership election that followed Lamonts departure , stating that she wanted a supporting role rather than to be Labour leader . As a backbench MSP , Baillie campaigned for a public inquiry into a lethal outbreak of Clostridium difficile colitis at the Vale of Leven Hospital in her constituency . The inquiry into the outbreak cost £10 million , while the families were offered £1 million , something which prompted Baillie to plead Health Secretary Shona Robison for greater compensation for those affected , during a session of the Scottish Parliament in November 2014 . In December 2017 , Baillie was reduced to tears when raising the concern of fire safety following the deaths of two men in the Cameron House Hotel Fire . After Kezia Dugdale resigned as Scottish Labour leader in August 2017 and interim leader Alex Rowley was suspended , Baillie served as acting leader until Richard Leonard was elected as the new leader following the 2017 Scottish Labour leadership election . Baillie continued to serve as Scottish Labour Spokesperson for Economy , Jobs and Fair Work until October 2018 when she was sacked by Leonard , who also replaced her in the role . Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party : 2020–present . In January 2020 , Baillie announced that she would be standing as a candidate for the post of Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party . On 3 April , it was announced she had won the contest by 10,311 votes to Matt Kerrs 7,528 votes . After she was elected , Leonard reappointed her to his frontbench as Scottish Labour Spokesperson for Finance . She served as acting Leader of the Scottish Labour Party since after the resignation of Leonard on 14 January 2021 and served until the election of Anas Sarwar as leader . On 1 March 2021 , Baillie was moved from shadowing Finance to Health , Social Care and Equalities . Between 2020 and 2021 , Baillie was a member of Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints that concluded the Scottish Governments handling of harassment complaints against Alex Salmond was seriously flawed . As a committee member , Baillie quizzed both Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon , asking the latter : You have described these errors as catastrophic . Thats a strong word , tell me why then nobody has resigned ? Nobody has taken responsibility of this , because at the heart of this two women have been let down . Former BBC journalist Andrew Neil said of Baillies questioning , As a professional interviewer.. . there were many times when I thought Jackie Baillie was the only one that knew the questions to ask . On 19 March 2021 , the findings of the committee were pre-emptively leaked to the media by an MSP . Baillie backed an inquiry into the leak and said : “The leaks against the women were particularly bad , because they had the bravery to come forward to speak to the committee . It was entirely inappropriate that that information was leaked to the public domain.” She was re-elected in May 2021 with an increased majority of 1,483 . After her victory , she told her constituents : You want a recovery , not a referendum . You want us to prioritise your jobs , the economy , the NHS . You want us to make sure that our kids at school have all the opportunities they deserve . I pledge to you that I will do that in this next parliament . Personal life . Baillie married Stephen Baillie in 1982 . She lives in Dumbarton with her daughter . During her time as MSP , she studied for a Master of Science degree in Local Economic Development at the University of Glasgow . External links . - www.jackiebaillie.co.uk Jackie Baillie official website - Jackie Baillie MSP Biography at the Labour Party website