Name: Mhairi Black
Born: 12 September 1994
Party: Scottish National Party
Constituency: Paisley and Renfrewshire South
Mhairi Black is a British politician and the youngest MP elected to the House of Commons since 1667, representing the Scottish National Party (SNP). Black was elected as a Member of Parliament for Paisley and Renfrewshire South at the 2015 general election. She defeated Labour’s Douglas Alexander, who had been Shadow Foreign Secretary and the Labour Party’s election coordinator.
Black was born on 12 September 1994 in Glasgow, Scotland. She received a first-class honors degree in Politics and Public policy from the University of Glasgow in June 2015.
On July 1, 2015, it was reported that Black had been named to the Work and Pensions Select Committee. On 14 July 2015, she made her maiden speech and criticized the government’s unemployment policy in her constituency and the growing need for food banks. She said, “Food banks are not part of the Welfare State. They are a symbol that the welfare state is failing.” Black condemned the government for cutting social housing subsidies.
Black has been an outspoken critic of the Westminster Parliament. She noted that the practice of forcing MPs to vote in person rather than electronically was “outdated and wasted time” two months after her election.
She said it was “mythical” to claim that Scots would be £500 better off if they backed independence in 2014.
Black was one of the signatories of a pilot scheme for a Safer Drugs Consumption Facility (SDCF) in Glasgow in January 2018.
Black has challenged the Conservative government’s deployment of Universal Credit, suggesting that delays in payments have severe negative effects on individuals and she is critical of the manner in which loans must be repaid later. Black said the government was like a ‘pious loan shark – it comes after your mental health, physical well-being, stability, and sense of security,’ which is what all of our constituents experience.’
She expressed her support for same-sex marriage before the Irish referendum.
Links
www.snp.org/your-team/mhairi-black/
Last Election Results:
Mhairi Black won 21,637 votes out of a possible 43,084. This represents a 50.2% share and a 10,679 majority in his constituency. There was a voter turnout of 66.9%.
Voting History Snapshot
Voted Nay to the Health and Social Care Levy (Ways and Means)
Voted Nay to the Nationality and Borders Bill: Second Reading
Voted Aye to the Opposition day: EU Settlement Scheme
Voted Nay to the Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts Bill: Third Reading
Voted Aye to the Cannabis (Legalisation and Regulation) Bill
Voted Nay to the Emergency Debate: Syria
Contact Details
Phone: 020 7219 5558
Email: mhairi.black.mp@parliament.uk
9 Wellmeadow Street
Paisley
PA1 2EF