Eleanor Laing

Infobox MP
honorific-prefix =
name = Eleanor Laing
honorific-suffix = MP


caption =
office= Shadow Junior Justice Minister
term_start = 2007
term_end =
leader = David Cameron
predecessor =
successor =
constituency_MP2 = Epping Forest
parliament2 =
term_start2 = 1 May 1997
term_end2 =
majority2 = 14,358 (32.0%)
predecessor2 = Steven Norris
successor2 =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1958|2|1|df=yes
birth_place = Paisley, Scotland
death_date =
death_place =
nationality = British
spouse = Alan Laing (div. 2002)
party = Conservative
relations =
children =
residence =
alma_mater = University of Edinburgh
occupation =
profession =
religion =


website =
footnotes =

Eleanor Fulton Laing, née Pritchard, (born 1 February 1958, Paisley) is a British politician. She is Conservative Member of Parliament for Epping Forest, and was first elected in 1997. Currently she serves as Shadow Minister for Women.

Early life

She went to the independent St Columba's School in Kilmacolm, Inverclyde (former Renfrewshire). At the University of Edinburgh, she received a BA and LLB. She was the first female President of the Union. She worked as a solicitor in Edinburgh, and the City of London.

Parliamentary career

Laing contested Paisley North in the 1987 general election. When Laing was first elected to the Epping Forest seat in 1997, the seat had been made a marginal by the Labour landslide. In 2001 the seat returned to safe status with a 19.8% majority. In 2005, she increased that majority to 32%. She has an interest in education, transport, economic policy, constitution and devolution. In 2008 she was one of 172 MPs who voted to preserve what critics call a lax and over-generous system of Parliamentary expenses which permit Members of Parliament to claim for expenses without producing receipts.

Private life

Laing has one son, born in June 2001. She married Alan Laing in 1983 and divorced in 2002.

Past and Present Positions

* 1999-2000 Opposition whip
* 2000-2001 Opposition spokesperson, constitutional affairs
* 2001-2003 Spokeswoman for education and skills
* 2003-2004 Opposition spokesman, home, constitutional and legal affairs
* 2005 Shadow secretary of state for Scotland
* 2004 Shadow minister for Women & Equality
* 2007- Shadow Junior Justice Minister

External links

* [http://www.eleanorlaing.com Eleanor Laing MP] official site
* [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-2986,00.html Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Eleanor Laing MP]
* [http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/eleanor_laing/epping_forest TheyWorkForYou.com - Eleanor Laing MP]
* [http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpn=Eleanor_Laing&mpc=Epping+Forest The Public Whip - Eleanor Laing MP] voting record
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/mpdb/html/239.stm BBC News - Eleanor Laing] profile 10 February, 2005

News items

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4563591.stm Becoming Shadow Scottish Secretary in 2005]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3716116.stm Sticking up for teenage mothers in 2004]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/622421.stm Abhorred at discrimination by academic fees between Scottish and English university students in 2000]

Audio clips

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/audio/41378000/rm/_41378658_eleanor_laing_6_42.ram Discussing gender gap pay inequality in 2006 on "The Westminster Hour"]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/ram/2004_40_tue_01.ram Discussing Conservative conference in 2004 on "Womans Hour"]
* [http://www.wpradio.co.uk/mp3s/EleanorLaing.mp3 Discussing women in Westminister in 2007 on "Women's Parliamentary Radio"]