Sandra Osborne

Biography

Sandra Osborne was re-elected MP for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock in May 2010 with a majority of 9,911.

Sandra Osborne is married to Alastair Osborne who was Labour candidate in the same Ayr constituency in 1992 that Mrs Osborne won in 1997. They have two daughters and two granddaughters and live in Symington, Ayrshire. Sandra was born and brought up in Ferguslie Park, Paisley. She was educated at Camphill Secondary School in Paisley. She later attended evening classes before going on to Jordanhill College where she gained the Diploma in Community Education. After working as a community worker in Glasgow she moved to Ayrshire where she spent 14 years as a counsellor with Kilmarnock Women's Aid. During that time she also studied part time at Strathclyde University where she graduated Master of Science in Equality and Discrimination. In 1997 she was one of the shortlisted finalists in the Scottish Woman of the Year Award (Glasgow Evening Times)

Sandra Osborne was the councillor for Whitletts on Kyle and Carrick District Council and South Ayrshire Council where she also served as Convener of Community Services (Housing and Social Work). She is a member of the Trade Union Unite (formerly TGWU) and has been active in the Labour Party for over 30 years, serving for a time as Ayr CLP Secretary.

In May 1997 she was elected MP for Ayr constituency, becoming Ayr's first ever Labour MP and first ever woman MP. She was re-elected in the June 2001 general election.

Sandra Osborne served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Helen Liddell, the Secretary of State for Scotland, from June 2002 until she stepped down in March 2003 over her opposition to going to war with Iraq. She believed this should not have gone ahead without a second UN resolution. She had previously served as PPS to George Foulkes, Minister of State at the Scotland Office and to his predecessor in that post, Brian Wilson.

She has served as Chair of the Scottish Group of Labour MPs and member of the Scottish Executive of the Labour Party. She has served as Chair of the All Party Group on Meningitis. She was a member of the Kerley Committee on the Renewal of Local Democracy, providing a minority report opposing PR.

In June 2004 Sandra was selected to be Labour Candidate for the new constituency of Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock, where she was returned at the 2005 general election with a majority of 9997. She was appointed to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee in 2005. She is also Secretary of the All Party Group on Colombia and the Women, Peace and Security Group. In 2006 the Prime Minister appointed her a member of the UK Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)

Her political interests include poverty, pensions, women's issues and International Development. She enjoys reading, walking and spending time with her two granddaughters.

Constituency

Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock

Constituency Address

Parliamentary Office 139 Main Street Ayr KA8 8BX

Constituency Fax

Constituency Id

Constituency Tel

01292 262906

Current Role

Backbencher

Date of Birth

23 February 1956

Email

osbornes@parliament.uk

Name

Sandra Osborne

Party

Labour

Party Website

http://www.labour.org.uk/

Past Roles

PPS to Brian Wilson at the Scottish Office 1999-2001.Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to George Foulkes as Minister of State, Scotland Office, 2001-June 2002Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Helen Liddell, as Secretary of State for Scotland, July 2002 -March 2003

Personal Website

http://www.labour.org.uk/maps/locinfo.phtml?ctid=2142

Voting Record

Westminster Address

House of Commons London SW1A 0AA

Westminster Fax

Westminster Tel

020 7219 3000