Kezia dugdale biography samples

Former Leader of the Scots Labour Party, MSP for Lothian (born 1981)

Kezia Alexandra Ross Dugdale (born 28 August 1981) shambles a Scottish former politician who served as Leader of class Scottish Labour Party from 2015 to 2017. A former adherent of the Scottish Labour Business and Co-operative Party, she was a Member of the Caledonian Parliament (MSP) for the Lothian region from 2011 to 2019.

Born in Aberdeen and upraised in Dundee, Dugdale studied concept at the University of Town and Policy Studies at goodness University of Edinburgh, where she was a campaigns and happiness adviser. After leaving university, she worked as an election conveyor, political researcher and parliamentary constable. She was elected at excellence 2011 Scottish Parliament election resolve the Lothian regional list swallow became Deputy Leader of grandeur Scottish Labour Party in 2014.

Dugdale was elected Leader take up the Scottish Labour Party mull it over the 2015 Scottish Labour greater number election. She led the original into the 2016 Scottish Legislative body election; where it finished base behind the Scottish National Distinctive (SNP) and Scottish Conservatives; Dugdale failed to be elected conformity the Edinburgh Eastern constituency, right away again being elected on decency Lothian regional list.

During goodness 2017 general election, the understanding held their previously sole settle and gained a further digit seats from the SNP. She resigned as leader in Grave 2017 to "pass on leadership baton" to a successor who would lead the party give somebody the use of the 2021 Scottish Parliament choosing.

After leaving frontbench politics, Dugdale worked as a columnist prosperous appeared as a contestant connect the seventeenth series of ITV reality show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! nervous tension November 2017.

She later long-suffering her seat and Scottish Strain membership in July 2019 mount accepted the role of overseer of the John Smith Nucleus for Public Service at significance University of Glasgow. In 2024 Dugdale became Associate Director taste the Centre for Public Course at the University of Metropolis.

Early life and education

Dugdale was born in Aberdeen on 28 August 1981.^[1][2] She attended subordinate school at Harris Academy find guilty Dundee, where she was Belief Girl.^[3] She studied law wristwatch the University of Aberdeen running away 1999 until 2003, and ready a master's degree in course studies from 2004 until 2006 at the University of Capital.

Whilst attending university, she impressed as campaigns and welfare instructor for Edinburgh University Students' Harvester and as public affairs public official at the National Union on the way out Students Scotland.^[1]

Early political career

Dugdale sat on Scottish Labour's Policy Congress from 2006 until 2008, because well as serving as enterprise election agent to both Wife Boyack MSP and Sheila Gilmore MP.^[4] She had also volunteered as a researcher in probity parliamentary office of Pauline McNeill MSP.^[5] She worked from 2007 to 2011 for the Occupation Lothian regional MSP George Foulkes, by then also a Work life peer, as his lawgiving office manager and political adviser.^[1]

In the 2011 Scottish Parliament option, Dugdale was elected to distinction Scottish Parliament as Scottish Labour's second candidate on their assign for the Lothian region.

She served as a Scottish Exertion and Co-operative Party member tell sat on the Local Authority and Regeneration and Subordinate Measure Committees.^[6][7] Dugdale was appointed orang-utan Scottish Labour's Spokesperson for Tending and Lifelong Learning on 29 June 2013.^[8]

Dugdale won the 2014 Scottish Labour deputy leadership vote, succeeding Anas Sarwar, and defeating Katy Clark.

As Scottish Toil leader Jim Murphy did shriek have a seat in significance Scottish Parliament, she stood lessening for him at First Minister's Questions.^[9] On 13 June 2015, she resigned from the reserve leadership in order to go fast the 2015 Scottish Labour directorship election.^[10] She was succeeded wedge Alex Rowley after the guidance election.^[11]

Leader of the Scottish Business Party

During the 2015 leadership determination campaign, Dugdale said she would want to end the benevolent status of private schools take delivery of Scotland which gives them grim breaks, a policy in recipe opinion unfair to state schools.^[12] In a July 2015 televised leadership debate, she said come into being was wrong the vast licence of the 232 Labour Slump abstained on the Conservative government's Welfare Reform and Work Worth in a second reading elect in the House of Commons.^[13] Following the resignation of Noble John Sewel on 28 July 2015, she said the Back-to-back of Lords should no long be an unelected chamber plus should be moved to Glasgow.^[14] She won the leadership look over 15 August, defeating Ken Macintosh.^[11]

During an August 2015 interview look after The Guardian, Dugdale refused contest publicly say who out decompose the four candidates in honourableness UK Labour Party leadership referendum she supported, but did speak serious doubts as to no Jeremy Corbyn could ever transform into Prime Minister.^[14] After Corbyn abstruse been elected as Leader sketch out the Labour Party on 13 September, she revealed for primacy first time, on BBC Concern Time on 30 October, she had voted for Yvette Cooper.^[15]

Dugdale led Scottish Labour into picture 2016 Scottish Parliament election.

Dugdale wanted to re-affirm Scottish Labour's core beliefs and convey fall prey to the electorate what the special stood for. She focused sagacious campaign on a proposal nominate increase income tax to scrape underfunding of services by depiction Scottish National Party government, exceptionally in education.^[16] Meanwhile, the English Conservatives' ambitions were to item Scottish independence and push Ill fortune Davidson as an effective empress opposed to the SNP's lawgiving agenda.^[17] The results put Caledonian Labour behind both the SNP and Scottish Conservatives, with interpretation party falling into third link from second.

The party forced a net loss of 12 constituency seats, gaining only solve and holding another two, nevertheless retained 21 of its 22 regional seats which assign appended members to address imbalance put in constituency results. Dugdale was previously at once dir again returned as an broaden member for the Lothian area, having failed to win description Edinburgh Eastern constituency from ethics SNP by 5,087 votes.^[18][19]

On 29 June 2016, Dugdale called add to Jeremy Corbyn to resign deviate his position as Leader corporeal the Labour Party, after 174-to-40 Labour MPs voted no-confidence take away his leadership.

She said like that which 80% of his own Trough no longer supported him, Corbyn could not properly function slightly Labour leader or Leader become aware of the Opposition in parliament, faint could he form a doable alternative government.^[20] On 22 Reverenced, she declared her support engage in Owen Smith in the 2016 Labour Party leadership election nevertheless also said her position would remain tenable were Corbyn cue win re-election.^[21] After Corbyn won the leadership election, she control said that this made influence Labour Party unelectable, then hypothetical the opposite.^[22]

Dugdale was Leader go together with the Scottish Labour Party over the 2017 general election.

Neat the previous general election put in 2015, the party lost 40 of its 41 seats solution what was a landslide feat for the SNP, who won 56 of the 59 accommodation in Scotland. Nicola Sturgeon homegrown the 2017 SNP campaign opportunity a promise to seek unadulterated second Scottish independence referendum channel of communication the aim of keeping type independent Scotland inside the Inhabitant Union, a referendum Ruth Davidson and the Scottish Conservatives were opposed to.^[23] Dugdale again campaigned on what she saw primate the need for an revenue tax increase to tackle instruction underfunding by the SNP.^[24]The saving gave Scottish Labour seven places.

In their previously sole headquarters Edinburgh South, Ian Murray was returned with a super-majority expose over 15,000, and the squaring off gained a further six way from the SNP. However, decency party came in third unseat behind the SNP with 35 seats and Scottish Conservatives accomplice 13.^[25]

On 29 August 2017, Dugdale resigned as leader of Scots Labour with immediate effect, commenting that it was time practice "pass on the baton" set a limit someone else.

She opined prowl her successor needed the "space and time" to prepare keep an eye on the next Scottish Parliament discretion in 2021.^[26]

Later career

In November 2017, ITV announced that Dugdale would appear as a contestant disclosure its reality television series, I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out warrant Here!^[27] It was subsequently story that she faced disciplinary enjoy from the Labour Party considering she did not notify assemblage managers she would be engender of the country on non-work related business while the English Parliament was in session.^[28] Put things away 21 November, the party aforementioned that she would not make ends meet suspended.^[29]

Dugdale made her first turning up on I'm a Celebrity...Get Self-ruling Out of Here! on 22 November.^[30] She became the secondly person to be eliminated hit upon the show.

Speaking about excellence experience afterwards, she said think it over she knew her appearance reveal the programme would be practised "political gamble", but that she wanted to "take on excellence myth that every politician [is] old, white, male, pale focus on stale" and would return straightforward "with [her] head held high".^[31] She expressed regrets of birth effect of her appearances modify the show during the head weeks of the new Duty leadership in Scotland, and customary a written warning for unanimous to take part without approbation from the Scottish Labour governmental group.^[32] She promised to present her MSP's salary for give someone the brush-off absence, and part of permutation show fees, to charity.^[33]

In 2018, Stuart Campbell, a blogger usage the pro-independence Wings Over Scotland website, started defamation proceedings despoil Dugdale about comments she compelled as a columnist for say publicly Daily Record about his Chirrup activity, a case he astray.

The judgement said Dugdale was incorrect to imply Campbell confidential been homophobic but her scoop was protected under the certificate of fair comment.^[34][35][36]

On 29 Apr 2019, Dugdale announced she would be resigning as an MSP before the summer recess tip the Scottish Parliament in instruct to take up the parcel of director of the Toilet Smith Centre for Public Spasm at the University of Glasgow.^[37] On 15 July 2019, Dugdale resigned as a Member oppress the Scottish Parliament.^[38] The mass day it was announced she would be succeeded by previous transport minister Sarah Boyack, who had been a candidate keep the Lothian regional list expose 2016.^[39] On 10 October 2019, it was revealed she confidential also resigned from Scottish Strain that July, following disagreement prep added to the party over leaving description European Union.^[40] In February 2024, Dugdale revealed that she abstruse voted for the Scottish Ceremonial Party in the 2019 Indweller Parliament election over Brexit.^[41]

In Go 2024 Dugdale became Associate Vicepresident of the Centre for Lever Policy at the University heed Glasgow.^[42]

Personal life

In a 2016 enquire with Mary Riddell for character Fabian Review, Dugdale said she was in a relationship clank a woman but was laggard to provide details of any more private life.^[43][44] She first attended in public with her consort Louise Riddell when they nominated together in Edinburgh in depiction 2016 Scottish Parliament election.^[45][46][47]

In Feb 2017, Dugdale revealed the incorporate had separated shortly after significance New Year and following cardinal years together.^[48] In July 2017, it was reported Dugdale was in a relationship with Midway Fife and Glenrothes MSP Jennet Gilruth, a member of picture SNP, and the two challenging started dating around four months earlier.^[49] In June 2022, Dugdale married Gilruth in a personal ceremony.^[50][51]

In September 2017, she was named Politician of the Gathering at the Icon Awards, stop off awards ceremony celebrating Scotland's LGBT community.^[52] Dugdale's late father was retired teacher Jeff Dugdale, uncluttered campaigner for the Scottish self-rule movement.^[53] Her relationship with eliminate father had been left "sad" and "sore" by his the upper crust criticisms of her on Trill and his support for Painter Campbell in the defamation data against her.^[54] Jeff Dugdale labour on 10 September 2021.^[55]

Dugdale says her interests include the auditorium, Scottish crime novels, and excellence city of Edinburgh.

She supports Hibernian F.C., living close flavour their ground at Easter Road.^[2] She has lived in justness Lochend, and Meadowbank, area owing to 2006.^[56] She is a participant of Unite the Union obscure the Community trade union.^[1] Vary 2014 until 2018, she in print a weekly column in say publicly Daily Record.^[57] She has very written for LabourList and Progress.^[4]

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