Kirsty Blackman

Kirsty Blackman
MP
Official portrait, 2017
Chief Whip of the Scottish National Party in the House of Commons
Incumbent
Assumed office
5th July 2024
Preceded byOwen Thompson
SNP Spokesperson for the Cabinet Office in the House of Commons
In office
10 December 2022 – 4th July 2024
LeaderStephen Flynn
Preceded byStewart Hosie
Succeeded byPosition Abolished
SNP Spokesperson for Work and Pensions in the House of Commons
In office
29 March 2022 – 10 December 2022
LeaderIan Blackford
Preceded byDavid Linden
Succeeded byDavid Linden
SNP Spokesperson for the Constitution in the House of Commons
In office
7 January 2019 – 10 December 2022
LeaderIan Blackford
Preceded byOffice established
Deputy Leader of the Scottish National Party in the House of Commons
In office
14 June 2017 – 1 July 2020
LeaderIan Blackford
Preceded byStewart Hosie
Succeeded byKirsten Oswald
SNP Spokesperson for the Treasury in the House of Commons
In office
20 June 2017 – 7 January 2019
LeaderIan Blackford
Preceded byStewart Hosie
Succeeded byAlison Thewliss
Member of Parliament
for Aberdeen North
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 May 2015
Preceded byFrank Doran
Majority1,779 (4.2%)
Personal details
Born
Kirsty Ann West

(1986-03-20) 20 March 1986 (age 38)
Aberdeen, Scotland
Political partyScottish National Party
SpouseLuke Blackman[1]
ChildrenTwo
WebsiteCommons website

Kirsty Blackman (née West; born 20 March 1986)[2][3] is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Aberdeen North since 2015.

Blackman was re-elected in 2017, 2019 and 2024.[4][5] and currently serves as the SNP Chief Whip, previously serving as Spokesperson for the Cabinet Office, Spokesperson for the Treasury from 2017 to 2019,[6] the SNP Deputy Westminster Leader from 2017 to 2020, and the SNP Spokesperson for Work and Pensions from March to December 2022.[7]

Early life

[edit]

Blackman was educated at Robert Gordon's College after winning a scholarship.[8] She matriculated at the University of Aberdeen to study medicine, but later dropped out.

She first entered politics when she was elected to Aberdeen City Council as an SNP councillor in the Hilton/Stockethill ward, in the Aberdeen North constituency in the 2007 Aberdeen City Council election topping the poll in her ward with 1,761 first preferences. Her brother, John West, was also elected for the Hazlehead/Ashley/Queens Cross ward in the same election. She was re-elected in 2012 Aberdeen City Council election with 823 first preferences taking the second seat in the ward. She then became the Convener of the SNP group in Aberdeen City Council.[9]

Parliamentary career

[edit]

At the 2015 general election, she became the Member of Parliament for Aberdeen North. She succeeded Frank Doran, of the Labour Party, who had announced in October 2013 that he would stand down at the next general election.[10] She won the seat with 24,793 votes, 13,396 more than the Labour Party candidate Richard Baker, and became SNP Spokesperson on the House of Lords.[11] In April 2016, she drew attention to the plight of unaccompanied refugee children during a Commons debate.[12] She was elected to the Scottish Affairs Committee in 2015. In July 2016, she spoke out on the importance of making Parliament more family-friendly after being censured by clerks for holding her sleeping two-year-old daughter in a committee hearing.[13]

She retained her seat at the 2017 general election. Following the election, she became Deputy Leader of the SNP Westminster Group and SNP Westminster Spokesperson on the Economy. This made her the first woman to lead on the economy for a major party in the House of Commons.[14]

Blackman held the seat at the 2019 general election with a majority of 33.9%, the largest percentage majority in Scotland. In January 2019, she became the SNP Spokesperson for the Constitution at Westminster, a strategic role leading on the constitution in preparation for an independence referendum.[15]

In July 2020 Blackman announced that she would be stepping down as the deputy leader of the SNP Westminster Group, saying "Like many others, I've struggled with the impact that lockdown has had on my mental health. In order to prioritise my constituency and my family, I have made the difficult personal decision to step down from my Leadership role. I strongly believe that people must be able to talk openly about mental health issues, which affect so many of us".[16] On 7 July it was announced that Kirsten Oswald was to be her successor.[17] On 24 September 2020 she spoke more about suffering with depression.[18][19]

In January 2021, Blackman publicly criticised former party leader Alex Salmond,[20] labelling him an "awful human".[21]

In February 2021, Blackman clashed on Twitter with fellow MP Joanna Cherry about transgender rights.[22][23][24]

In November 2021, Blackman wrote a tweet on benefit sanctions that was thought to make a political point while referencing the suicide of the wife of the Conservative MP Owen Paterson. Rose Paterson committed suicide by hanging in June 2020.[25] She later tweeted "After some reflection, I have deleted a tweet I made earlier. I offer my unreserved apologies for tweeting it, particularly to anyone who may have been upset or offended. I'm sorry".[26]

In March 2022, she returned[27] to the SNP frontbench on the Department for Work and Pensions portfolio. In September 2022, she spoke out against cuts to Universal credit as a result of Liz Truss's controversial budget warning the UK Government was "threatening to cut their family budgets further, with a new regime of benefit sanctions".[28]

In May 2022, Chancellor Rishi Sunak introduced a windfall tax on the soaring profits of energy companies to pay for a series of measures that would help people with the cost of living crisis.[29] Blackman complained to the BBC that, "It feels very unfair that Scotland is having to pay for the entirety of the UK" as most of the tax revenue came from oil and gas "income made in Scotland".[30][31] The remarks led to some debate about the nature of pooling and sharing of resources and Alistair Carmichael opined in The Scotsman that, "There is nothing progressive about saying that families in England, Wales and Northern Ireland must go cold and hungry because nationalism says that we should keep oil money here in Scotland."[32]

In December 2022, under the new leadership of Stephen Flynn she became the SNP lead on the Cabinet Office, as well as deputy whip. In January 2023, she called for an Independent Inquiry into claims of BBC chair Richard Sharp providing Boris Johnson with a loan to fund his lifestyle while Prime Minister.[33]

In April 2023, she ran for chair of the Energy Security and Net Zero Select Committee, a chair which had been allocated to an SNP politicians, against Stewart Malcolm McDonald and Angus MacNeil.[34] She came second, in the election, open to all MPs to vote in, by 14 votes.[35]

In the 2024 general election, she was re-elected with a much reduced majority against the Labour swing.[36] She is now the only female SNP MP.

Personal life

[edit]

Blackman is married with two children. In 2023, she tweeted that she was "not straight".[37] She identifies as an LGBTQIA woman.[38]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Cllr Kirsty Blackman". Scottish National Party. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  2. ^ Carr, Tim (18 May 2015). The Politicos Guide to the New House of Commons 2015: Profiles of the New MPs and Analysis of the 2015 General Election Results. Biteback Publishing. ISBN 9781849549240.
  3. ^ Scott, Kirsty (13 June 2007). "Fresh-faced challenge". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  4. ^ "Krusty Blackman". Huffingtonpost.co.uk. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  5. ^ "Scottish National Party Spokespersons". Parliament.uk. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  6. ^ "Kirsty Blackman, Parliamentary Career". Parliament.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  7. ^ SNP, the (10 December 2022). "The real opposition: meet your new SNP Westminster Frontbench". Scottish National Party. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  8. ^ "Analysis: SNP bucks trend for privately educated MPs (From Herald Scotland)". Heraldscotland.com. June 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  9. ^ "Blackman wins Aberdeen North seat for SNP". BBC News. UK. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  10. ^ "Labour MP Frank Doran to step down at 2015 general election". BBC News. UK. 19 October 2013.
  11. ^ Clark, Andrew (8 May 2015). "SNP candidate Kirsty Blackman wins Aberdeen North seat". The Press and Journal. UK.
  12. ^ "Unaccompanied Children". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 608. United Kingdom: Westminster Hall. 19 April 2016. col. 276WH–279WH.
  13. ^ Brooks, Libby (26 July 2016). "SNP MP censured for bringing her children to Commons Committee". The Guardian. UK.
  14. ^ Stewart, Heather (3 January 2018). "Interview. Kirsty Blackman: 'Excuse me, I'd rather shake hands'". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  15. ^ "SNP make changes to frontbench team at Westminster (From Herald Scotland)". Heraldscotland.com. 7 January 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  16. ^ "Kirsty Blackman steps down as SNP deputy at Westminster". BBC News. 1 July 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  17. ^ @kirstenoswald (7 July 2020). "Delighted to be new deputy leader of @theSNP group at Westminster. I look forward to working with @Ianblackford_MP…" (Tweet). Retrieved 29 May 2021 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ "Kirsty Blackman: Aberdeen MP shares mental health struggles and says 'it is OK not to be OK'". Press & Journal. 25 September 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  19. ^ @KirstySNP (24 September 2020). "This is a long road for all of us. Please know that you are not alone. It is okay to not be okay" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. ^ "Nationalist feud could fatally wound Scottish independence hopes". Politico.eu. 12 January 2021.
  21. ^ @KirstySNP (9 January 2021). "Patriarchy and misogyny out in full force this morning. Man who has admitted acting inappropriately and abusing his…" (Tweet). Retrieved 29 May 2021 – via Twitter.
  22. ^ "Joanna Cherry sacked from SNP frontbench at Westminster". The Guardian. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  23. ^ "Joanna Cherry 'blocks' SNP colleague Kirsty Blackman on Twitter amid LGBT row". Scotsman.com. 30 January 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  24. ^ "Joanna Cherry accuses SNP colleagues of spreading 'lies and smears'". Inews.co.uk. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  25. ^ Hutcheon, Paul (5 November 2021). "SNP MP apologises for "appalling" suicide tweet on Tory sleaze row". Daily Record.
  26. ^ @KirstySNP (4 November 2021). "After some reflection, I have deleted a tweet I made earlier. I offer my unreserved apologies for tweeting it, part…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  27. ^ Shanks, Ciaran (30 March 2022). "Aberdeen MP Kirsty Blackman takes on new frontbench role at Westminster". Press and Journal. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  28. ^ Morrison, Hamish (29 September 2022). "How Universal Credit changes announced today will affect you". The National. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  29. ^ "Cost of Living Support". Gov.uk. 26 May 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  30. ^ Hutcheon, Paul (29 May 2022). "SNP MP claims Scotland paying for the UK through oil and gas windfall tax". Daily Record. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  31. ^ ""It feels very unfair that Scotland is having to pay for the entirety of the UK". SNP's Kirsty Blackman says 90% of the money raised by the energy profits levy will come from oil and gas "income made in Scotland"". Twitter.com. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  32. ^ "How the SNP has revealed it's not really a progressive, centre-left party – Alistair Carmichael". Scotsman.com. 3 June 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  33. ^ "Labour reports Boris Johnson to standards watchdog over 'quagmire of sleaze' engulfing former PM". Sky News. 22 January 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  34. ^ "Chair Nominations Open for Energy Security Net Zero". UK Parliament. 29 March 2023.
  35. ^ "Energy Security and Net Zero Chair Election Results" (PDF). UK Parliament. 26 April 2023.
  36. ^ Gossip, Alastair (5 July 2024). "Aberdeen North: SNP's Kirsty Blackman retains seat at 2024 general election". Press and Journal. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  37. ^ @KirstySNP (14 June 2023). "You are right – people have been making assumptions. I am not straight and I would appreciate it if people would stop saying I am. I have now made this clear and public and it would be courteous for people to respect this request" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  38. ^ EDITOR (9 September 2024). "Politically Queer: In conversation with Kirsty Blackman". diva-magazine.com. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kirsty Blackman.
  • profile at the Scottish National Party website
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for
Aberdeen North
2015–present 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Deputy Leader of the Scottish National Party in the House of Commons
2017–2020 		Succeeded by
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