Gillian Merron

Gillian Merron
Minister of State for Public Health
In office
8 June 2009 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Preceded by Dawn Primarolo
Succeeded by Anne Milton (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Foreign Office
In office
5 October 2008 – 8 June 2009
Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Preceded by Meg Munn
Succeeded by Chris Bryant
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development
In office
24 January 2008 – 5 October 2008
Preceded by Shriti Vadera
Succeeded by Ivan Lewis
Minister for the East Midlands
In office
28 June 2007 – 24 January 2008
Preceded by New Post
Succeeded by Phil Hope
Parliamentary Secretary of the Cabinet Office
In office
28 June 2007 – 24 January 2008
Preceded by Pat McFadden
Succeeded by Tom Watson
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
In office
2006–2007
Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
In office
October 2002 – May 2006
Member of Parliament
for Lincoln
In office
1 May 1997 – 12 April 2010
Preceded by Kenneth Carlisle
Succeeded by Karl McCartney
Majority 4,613 (12.5%)
Personal details
Born (1959-04-12) 12 April 1959
Ilford, Essex
Nationality British
Political party Labour
Alma mater University of Lancaster
Signature

Gillian Joanna Merron (born 12 April 1959) is the Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, and has served in the post since July 2014.[1] A former British Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Lincoln from 1997 to 2010, when she lost her seat. From 2009 to 2010 she was Minister of State with responsibility for Public Health at the Department of Health.

Early life and career

Merron was born in Ilford, Essex to a Jewish family, and was educated at Wanstead High School in Wanstead in east London. She attended Lancaster University Management School, gaining a BSc (Hons) in Management Sciences. She worked in local government, and a NUPE, later UNISON, union official.

Merron joined the Labour Party in 1984. Before becoming an MP, Merron was the vice 'chair' for the regional Labour Party executive.[2] She co-ordinated the shadow cabinet central region campaign in the 1992 general election and the 1994 European Parliamentary Election.

Parliamentary career

Merron was made a prospective parliamentary candidate (PPC) through an all-women shortlist,[3] and was elected to the House of Commons in May 1997 with a majority of 11,130. From 1997 until 2007, when Quentin Davies defected to the Labour Party, she was Lincolnshire's only Labour MP - and the first since Margaret Beckett had the seat in 1979. In the 2005 general election, her majority was 4,613. She lost her seat to the Conservative candidate Karl McCartney in the 2010 general election.

From October 2002 until May 2006, she was a government whip and Lord Commissioner of the Treasury. She then moved to the Department for Transport, where she worked until the reshuffle on 29 June 2007, when she became a minister at the Cabinet Office and the first ever minister of the East Midlands.

Following Peter Hain's resignation on 24 January 2008, Merron was reshuffled again, becoming a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for International Development, leaving both of her previous roles. Following Gordon Brown's next reshuffle on 5 October 2008, Merron was moved to the Foreign Office in the same post, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State. A promotion to Minister of State soon followed, with Merron moving to the Department of Health to take on responsibility for Public Health.

Merron followed the party line in votes on equal gay rights, the hunting ban, foundation hospitals, a ban on smoking in public places, the Iraq war, 'laws to stop climate change', and The Digital Economy Bill.[4]

She held the following positions:

Expenses

Merron MP's expense claims have always been higher than average.[5] She is one of 98 MPs who voted to support Conservative MP David Maclean's bill to keep their expenses and correspondence secret.[6][7]

Total expenses claimed
YearTotal ExpensesRankingout of
2001/02£ 94,459joint 178th657
2002/03£123,95487th657
2003/04£136,70655th658
2004/05£139,85464th659
2005/06£133,480--
2006/07£144,914176th645
2007/08£155,972172nd645

On 19 June 2009, MP's expenses were revealed (heavily edited) on the Internet. Merron received criticism for purchasing a television, television stand, home theatre kit, and numerous other goods.[8] She wrote on her website: "The majority of claims I make directly pay for professional staff, office costs, communication with constituents, and travel. I do not have a second job, do not employ any family members or friends, nor have I taken the annual increase in ministerial salary."[9]

In the aftermath of the United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal, Sir Thomas Legg recommended that Gillian Merron repay £6,305.17. [10] She repaid this amount in full.[11]

Post-parliamentary career

Since her defeat at the 2010 general election, Merron has become Chair of Bus Users UK[12] formerly known as The National Federation of Bus Users.[13]

In May 2014, it was announced that Merron would become Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews the following July.[1][14] Since February 2013, she has served as a Vice-President of the Jewish Leadership Council[15] and has also served as external affairs officer on the board of Liberal Judaism since July 2012.[16]

References

  1. 1 2 Rocker, Simon (7 May 2014). "Board of Deputies new chief executive revealed". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  2. ↑ Gillian Merron MP - Working for Lincoln - About Your MP
  3. ↑ Rentoul, John; Stephen Ward; Donald MacIntyre (9 January 1996). "Labour blow as all-women lists outlawed". The Independent. London. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
  4. ↑ Gillian Merron MP, Lincoln (TheyWorkForYou.com)
  5. ↑ "Gillian Merron MP". TheyWorkForYou. mySociety is a project of UK Citizens Online Democracy (UKCOD). UKCOD is a registered charity in England and Wales, no. 1076346. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
  6. ↑ "How your MP voted on the FOI Bill". The Times. London. 20 May 2007. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
  7. ↑ Policy #996: "Transparency of Parliament" — The Public Whip
  8. ↑ 'I will do what I always do, my best for Lincoln'
  9. ↑ http://www.gillianmerron.co.uk/mps-allowances
  10. ↑ "Expenses: The MPs paying over £1K". politics.co.uk.
  11. ↑ Cohen, Justin (7 May 2014). "Former Foreign Office minister appointed to lead the Board". Jewish News. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  12. ↑ "New Chair for Bus Users UK". Bus Users UK website. Shepperton, Middlesex: Bus Users UK. 4 April 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2012. [Gillian Merron] is now a strategic advisor to the transport industry and will be bringing new strategic direction to Bus Users UK.,
  13. ↑ As of 23 April 2012 the name "Bus Users UK" appears on the official register of companies.
  14. ↑ "Chief Executive : Gillian Merron". Board of Deputies of British Jews. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  15. ↑ "New Jewish Leadership Council members". The Jewish Chronicle. 15 February 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  16. ↑ Rocker, Simon (12 July 2012). "Ex-MP joins Liberal Judaism board". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gillian Merron.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Kenneth Carlisle		 Member of Parliament for Lincoln
1997-2010 		Succeeded by
Karl McCartney
Preceded by
Pat McFadden		 Parliamentary Secretary of the Cabinet Office
2007-2008 		Succeeded by
Tom Watson
New office Minister for the East Midlands
2007–2008 		Succeeded by
Phil Hope
Preceded by
Shriti Vadera		 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development
24 January 2008 – 5 October 2008 		Succeeded by
Ivan Lewis
Preceded by
Meg Munn		 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
5 October 2008 – 8 June 2009 		Succeeded by
Chris Bryant
Preceded by
Dawn Primarolo		 Minister of State for Public Health
8 June 2009 – 12 April 2010 		Succeeded by
Anne Milton
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