Pamela Nash

Pamela Nash (born 24 June 1984)[2]  is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Airdrie and Shotts since the 2010 general election.

In 2010 she became and still is the Baby of the House, the name given to the youngest MP in Parliament, aged just 25.



Contents
[hide]  *1 Early life and education  ==Early life and education[ edit] == Pamela Nash was born in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, and educated locally in St Margaret's High School, Airdrie and Chapelhall. Nash lost her mother and stepfather when she was 17.[3] [4]
 * 2 Early career
 * 3 Political career
 * 4 Parliamentary performance
 * 5 References
 * 6 External links

She spent her first summer after high school volunteering at a school in Nyeri, Kenya and followed this up with a placement in Uganda during her time at university.[5]  She studied politics at the University of Glasgow, specialising in human rights and international development.[5] ==Early career[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">Nash was the parliamentary officer for the Young Fabians and a member of the Scottish Youth Parliament, where she served on the executive committee and was the convenor of the External Affairs Committee. She interned for John Reid for one year as his constituency assistant and subsequently was employed for a period of three years as his parliamentary assistant.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Pamela_Nash_5-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[5] ==Political career<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">Nash was selected as the Labour Party candidate from an all-women shortlist which, at the time, proved to be a contentious issue.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[6]  The constituency chairman, Brian Brady resigned over the issue. Nevertheless, 80% of the constituency Labour Party took part in the selection process.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7]  She was elected as the Member of Parliament for Airdrie and Shotts in 2010, replacing the retiring John Reid. She has a majority of 12,408 over the SNP and, at the age of 29,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-weekWest_20100626_1-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[1]  is currently the youngest MP in the House of Commons, also called Baby of the House.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[8]  The then leader of the Labour MSPs in the Scottish Parliament, Iain Gray said she had a "big future in Scottish politics".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">Nash is currently the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, Jim Murphy MP. She was previously Parliamentary Private Secretary to Margaret Curranas Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland and to Vernon Coaker as Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. She served on the Finance Bill 2011 Public Bill Committee.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]  Nash is a member of theScience and Technology Select Committee,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[11]  the Scottish Affairs Select Committee and is also a member of the Parliamentary Space Committee.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">Following the death of David Cairns MP<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[12]  she was elected as the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for HIV and AIDS.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13]  She is also the Treasurer of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Multiple Sclerosis<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[14]  and the Secretary of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Sustainable Housing.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[15]  Nash also founded and Chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on Youth Unemployment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[16]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">In September 2010, Nash declared in favour of David Miliband in the Labour Party leadership election.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17]  On 2 December 2010, Nash took part in a BBC Debate on age differences in politics and the wider society with Bill Cash MP.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[18]  Nash has pledged to oppose the repeal of the Hunting Act 2004, which protects foxes, hares, deer and mink from hunting with hounds.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[19]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">Nash has prominently campaigned on issues such as Blacklisting in employment,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[20]  breaches of the National Minimum Wage, closure of local police stations<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[21] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[22]  and the Bedroom tax.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[23] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[24] ==Parliamentary performance<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">In the last year, Pamela Nash has spoken in 17 debates (below average amongst MPs), has received answers to 111 written questions (well above average amongst MPs) and has voted in 70.41% of votes (below average amongst MPs).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[25]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">Nash failed to turn up for a House of Commons debate she was to lead in Westminster Hall at 2.30 pm on Tuesday, 6 November 2012. This was to have been on Scotland's membership of the European Union after Independence.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[26]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">Nash was narrowly reselected by the Airdrie and Shotts branch of Labour party to contest her seat in the next UK General Election. A total of 55 members voted for her to be reselected out of 101 members who attended the October 2013 ballot.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[27]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">Nash caused controversy in November 2013 when she failed to attend a Labour instigated vote condemning the Bedroom Tax in the House of Commons. Defending herself Nash claimed that she could not vote as she was attending a European Space Policy Institute one day conference on Space Against Youth Unemployment in Vienna. However it was later revealed that the one day conference occurred the day before the vote and ended in the late afternoon causing opposition politicians to attack Nash and claim that she could have easily returned to London that night and questioned her explanation for not attending the evening vote the next day in Parliament,.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[28]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">More recently in March 2014, Nash voted in support of a Conservative bill to introduce a cap on benefits,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[29]  despite having spoken against welfare cuts on her own website.