Patricia_Ferguson

Patricia Ferguson

Patricia Ferguson

British politician (born 1958)

Patricia Josephine Ferguson (born 24 September 1958) is a Scottish politician who served as Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, previously Glasgow Maryhill, from 1999 to 2016. A member of the Labour Party, she served in the Scottish Cabinet of First Minister Jack McConnell from 2001 to 2007.

For the engineer, see Patricia Ann Ferguson.
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Early life and career

Ferguson was educated at Garnethill Convent Secondary School in Glasgow between 1970 and 1976, and at Glasgow College of Technology, where she obtained an HNC in Public Administration in 1978.[1] She spent part of her childhood living in the city's Red Road Flats.[2]

Prior to entering the Scottish Parliament, she worked as a health service administrator between 1978 and 1990, with the Scottish Trades Union Congress between 1990 and 1994, and with the Scottish Labour Party between 1994 and 1999.[1]

Scottish Parliamentary career

She was first elected as an MSP in 1999 for the newly created Glasgow Maryhill constituency,[3] a seat she held until 2011 when Glasgow Maryhill was merged with other constituencies to form the Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn constituency. She won the 2011 Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn election but lost her seat in 2016[4] to SNP member Bob Doris.[5]

After being elected as MSP for Glasgow Maryhill in May 1999, she was Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament from 1999 until 2001 and as a member of several of the Parliament's Standards and Procedures Committees.[6]

She was first appointed to the Scottish Executive Cabinet in November 2001 as Minister for Parliament when Jack McConnell became First Minister. She became Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport in October 2004.[4]

In 2006, her name was included on a variant of a Nigerian scam email after a high-profile trip to Malawi as part of her Scottish Executive brief.[7]

Post-Parliamentary career

In the 2022 Glasgow City Council election, Ferguson was one of four members (including Labour colleague Paul Carey) elected to represent the Drumchapel/Anniesland ward.[8]

Ferguson will stand as the Labour candidate for the new constituency of Glasgow West at the next general election.[9] She was first runner-up in Glasgow North West in 2019.[10]

Personal life

She is married to former Labour MSP Bill Butler.[4]

References

  1. [1]
    "Patricia Ferguson – Personal Information". www.parliament.scot. 16 February 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  2. [2]
    "Red Road flats: Glasgow city officials apologise for botched demolition". The Guardian. 12 October 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  3. [3]
    "Labour a trailblazer for gender equality". Glasgow Times. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  4. [4]
    "Election 2016: Former Labour cabinet minister Patricia Ferguson loses seat to SNP". HeraldScotland. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  5. [5]
    "Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn – Scottish Parliament constituency – Election 2016". BBC News. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  6. [6]
    "Patricia Ferguson". www.parliament.scot. 25 July 2011. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  7. [7]
    "E-mail scam uses minister's name". BBC News. 9 June 2006. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  8. [8]
    "Declaration of Results (Ward 14 Drumchapel/Anniesland)". Glasgow City Council. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  9. [9]
    "About Patricia Ferguson". www.ferguson.scot. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  10. [10]
    "Glasgow North West parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News.
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