Gordon Banks (politician)
Gordon Raymond Banks (born 14 June 1955) is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ochil and South Perthshire from 2005 until 2015.
Gordon Banks | |
|---|---|
 Banks in 2008 | |
| Shadow Minister for Scotland | |
| In office 18 March 2013 – 30 March 2015 | |
| Leader | Ed Miliband |
| Preceded by | Willie Bain |
| Succeeded by | Paul Sweeney (2017) |
| Member of Parliament for Ochil and South Perthshire | |
| In office 5 May 2005 – 30 March 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 June 1955 Acomb, Northumberland, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater | University of Stirling |
Early life
Banks was born in Acomb, Northumberland and educated at the Lornshill Academy in Alloa and then the Glasgow College of Building. He later obtained an honours degree in History and Politics from the University of Stirling.
He has worked in the construction industry for 31 years, and formed his own building supplies business in 1986.
Member of Parliament
Banks was elected in the new constituency of Ochil and South Perthshire at the 2005 general election, defeating both Annabelle Ewing and Liz Smith.[1]
Shortly after his election, Banks became a member of the Regulatory Reform Committee, the Unopposed Bills (Panel) Committee, the Scottish Affairs Committee and the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee. In May 2006, he became a PPS to James Purnell, and subsequently left the Scottish and Northern Ireland committees.
In October 2010, he was appointed as one of the Shadow Ministers of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills. He resigned from this role in April 2011 in order to concentrate on his constituency duties. He returned to the Shadow Cabinet in 2013 as Shadow Minister for Scotland.
During his period as an MP he also successfully ran by-election campaigns for Westminster (1) and Holyrood(2). He also ran the successful 2012 Council elections for the City of Glasgow.
Later he also played a leading role in running Scottish Labour's campaign in the 2014 independence referendum.
In many of these campaigns he worked alongside James Kelly MSP.
He was defeated by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh of the Scottish National Party at the 2015 general election.[2]
Personal life
Banks is married with two children. He is a member of the Coeliac Society.
References
- "BBC NEWS | Election 2005 | Results | Ochil and South Perthshire". news.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 17 August 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
- Hutchinson, Hamish (9 May 2015). "Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh becomes Ochil and South Perthshire MP". dailyrecord. Archived from the original on 17 August 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
External links
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Martin O'Neill |
Member of Parliament for Ochil and South Perthshire 2005–2015 |
Succeeded by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh |