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Annabel Goldie

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The Right Honourable
The Baroness Goldie
DL
Official portrait, 2024
Minister of State for Defence
In office
26 July 2019 – 13 November 2023
Prime Minister
Preceded byThe Earl Howe
Succeeded byThe Earl of Minto
Baroness-in-Waiting
Government Whip
In office
17 July 2016 – 25 July 2019
Prime MinisterTheresa May
Preceded byThe Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
Succeeded byThe Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen
Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party in the Scottish Parliament
In office
8 November 2005 – 4 November 2011[a]
DeputyMurdo Fraser
UK party leader
Preceded byDavid McLetchie
Succeeded byRuth Davidson[b]
Parliamentary offices
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Life peerage
11 November 2013
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for West Scotland
(1 of 7 Regional MSPs)
In office
6 May 1999 – 24 March 2016
Personal details
Born
Annabel MacNicoll Goldie

(1950-02-27) 27 February 1950 (age 74)
Glasgow, Scotland
CitizenshipBritish
Political partyConservative
Alma materUniversity of Strathclyde
ProfessionSolicitor
WebsiteBlog
Profile: scottishconservatives.com

Annabel MacNicoll Goldie, Baroness Goldie DL (born 27 February 1950) is a Scottish politician and life peer who served as Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 2005 to 2011 and Minister of State for Defence from 2019 to 2023. She was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP), as one of the additional members for the West Scotland region, from 1999 to 2016.

Early life and career

Annabel MacNicoll Goldie was born in Glasgow, Scotland and raised in Kilmacolm and Lochwinnoch in Renfrewshire.[1] She attended Kilmacolm Primary School and Greenock Academy; she was head girl at Greenock.[2] She went on to study at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, graduating with an LL.B in 1971. Prior to entering politics, she was a solicitor and partner with Glasgow law firm Donaldson, Alexander, Russell & Haddow from 1978 to 2006.[3]

Political career

Goldie first stood for election to the House of Commons at the 1992 general election for the Renfrew West and Inverclyde constituency, coming second with 32.9% of the vote.[4]

Goldie was elected to the Scottish Parliament in the 1999 election as a regional member for the West of Scotland electoral region. She has retained this seat in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 elections. She became leader of the Scottish Conservatives in 2005 until standing down in 2011.

In addition to her appearance on the regional list ballots, she also stood as a candidate in the West Renfrewshire constituency for the Scottish Parliament in 1999, 2003 and 2007. While increasing the Conservative share of the vote each time, she was not elected although she raised her position from third to second place in 2007 with a reduced Labour majority. West Renfrewshire was abolished at the 2011 election, with Goldie unsuccessfully contending the new Renfrewshire North and West constituency.

On 31 October 2005, Goldie became acting leader after David McLetchie resigned as leader of the Scottish Conservatives following adverse publicity created by the publishing of details of expenses he claimed for taxi journeys.[5]

Goldie put herself forward as a leadership candidate on 2 November 2005—a joint nomination with Murdo Fraser as her proposed deputy.[6] Their nomination was unopposed and Goldie was appointed leader on 8 November 2005, the first woman to lead the Scottish Conservative Party. In her maiden speech as leader, she promised to act against "disloyalty and disobedience" in the party and in a reference to Margaret Thatcher she said, "I think you may take it matron's handbag will be in hyper-action. There could be worse precedents to follow".[7]

At her first party conference in March 2006, Goldie set out her plans to make the Scottish Conservatives the "principal party of opposition in Scotland". However, her second conference as party leader was overshadowed by a leaked memo by David Mundell, the only Scottish Conservative MP in the House of Commons, and Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, in which he criticised Goldie's leadership.[8]

Goldie won praise for her leadership of the party into the 2007 Scottish Parliament election and personally as a skilled debater, and was labelled a "much-liked public figure".[9] From February 2009 onwards, she was given monthly attendance rights to participate in the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet in Westminster.[10]

Annabel Goldie's official parliamentary portrait in 2011

On 9 May 2011, Goldie stated her intention to resign as leader of the Scottish Conservatives, citing her party's disappointing election result; she stood down on 4 November following the election of Ruth Davidson as her successor. Goldie later served as the party's culture and communities spokesperson and during the 2014 Scottish referendum served as the party's constitutional spokesperson. She stood down from the Parliament at the 2016 election.

Goldie was put on the 2013 list as a Conservative working peer in the House of Lords[11] and was created a life peer on 3 October 2013, taking the title Baroness Goldie, of Bishopton in the County of Renfrewshire.[12] In June 2016, she was appointed a Baroness-in-Waiting in the Royal Household, acting as a whip in the UK Government. She was promoted in July 2019 to Minister of State for Defence.[13] She was later reappointed by Liz Truss[14] and Rishi Sunak[15] respectively.

Official House of Lords portrait, 2018


She has identified the need for the armed forces to address climate change, and to improve the experience of women in the forces, as among her priorities.[16]

Personal life

Goldie lives in Bishopton, Renfrewshire.[1] She is also an Elder in the Church of Scotland, and sits on the West of Scotland Advisory Board of the Salvation Army. She is a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Renfrewshire.[17]

Notes

  1. ^ Acting: 31 October 2005 – 8 November 2005
  2. ^ As Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party.

References

  1. ^ a b "THE ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER: *** Local Inquiry, I have been appointed for that purpose by the Secretary of State for Scotland at the request of the Boundary Commission to hold this Inquiry, that is all under Section 6 and paragraph 6 of Schedule 1 to". Bcomm-scotland.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  2. ^ Lord Offord of Garvel, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Scotland Office (20 January 2022). "Oil and Gas: Subsidies and Licensing". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Lords. col. 272GC. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  3. ^ "Personal Information MSPs Scottish Parliament". The Scottish Parliament MSPs. The Scottish Parliament. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  4. ^ "Guardian- Annabel Goldie profile". London: Politics.guardian.co.uk. Archived from the original on 8 October 2007. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  5. ^ "McLetchie resigns as Tory leader". BBC News. 31 October 2005. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  6. ^ "Top Tories make deal over leader". BBC News. 2 November 2005. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  7. ^ Matthew Tempest, political correspondent (8 November 2005). "Guardian- "Goldie to lead Scottish Tories"". London: Politics.guardian.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 August 2007. Retrieved 9 May 2011. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  8. ^ "Scotsman.com "Mundell heaps praise on Goldie"". Thescotsman.scotsman.com. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  9. ^ Andrew Black (22 May 2008). "'Nag' who won her party's respect". BBC News. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  10. ^ "Galloway Today – "Goldie at shadow cabinet meetings"".
  11. ^ "Working peerages announced". GOV.UK.
  12. ^ "No. 60649". The London Gazette. 7 October 2013. p. 19679.
  13. ^ "Baroness Goldie page on UK Parliament website". Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  14. ^ "Ministerial Appointments: September 2022". GOV.UK. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  15. ^ "Ministerial Appointments commencing: 25 October 2022". GOV.UK. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  16. ^ Gibbons, Amy (8 November 2022). "Ministers 'on a journey' to tackle struggles of women in armed forces". Independent. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  17. ^ "About Annabel". Archived from the original on 4 March 2014.
Scottish Parliament
Constituency established Member of the Scottish Parliament
for West Scotland
1999–2016 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party
2005–2011 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Deputy Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party
1998–2005 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of State for Defence
2019–2023 		Succeeded by
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