Karen Whitefield

Infobox MSP
honorific-prefix =
name = Karen Whitefield
honorific-suffix =

---

imagesize = 150px
caption =
constituency_MP = Airdrie and Shotts
parliament = Scottish
majority = 1,446 (5.3%)
term_start = 6 May 1999
term_end =
predecessor = "new constituency"
successor =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1970|01|8|df=yes
birth_place = Bellshill
death_date =
death_place =
birthname =
nationality =
party = Scottish Labour Party
spouse =
relations =
children =
residence =
alma_mater =
occupation =
profession =
cabinet =
committees =
religion =


website =
footnotes =

Karen Whitefield (born 8 January 1970, Bellshill) [ [http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msp/membersPages/karen_whitefield/ The Scottish Parliament - Current Members - Karen Whitefield ] ] is a Scottish Labour politician [ [http://www.scottishlabour.org.uk/airdrie___shotts The Scottish Labour Party: Airdrie & Shotts ] ] , and Member of the Scottish Parliament for Airdrie and Shotts constituency since 1999 [ [http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msp/membersPages/karen_whitefield/ The Scottish Parliament - Current Members - Karen Whitefield ] ] .

Prior to her election as MSP she worked as a personal assistant to Rachel Squire, Member of Parliament [ [http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msp/membersPages/karen_whitefield/ The Scottish Parliament - Current Members - Karen Whitefield ] ] .

She currently presides over the Parliament's Education Committee where she used her casting vote to reject the student graduate endowment bill despite being a Scottish National Party (SNP) flagship policy. It had the backing of the Liberal Democrats and SNP members, however not the Labour or Conservative members of the committee [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7141315.stm BBC NEWS | Scotland | MSPs reject graduate charge plan ] ] The bill was eventually passed through the Scottish Parliament [http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/bills/02-GraduateEndowAbolition/index.htm>] by a vote of 67 to 61 [ [http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-08/sor0228-02.htm#Col6555 The Scottish Parliament - Official Report ] ] .

References

External links

###@@@KEY@@@###
* [http://www.karenwhitefield.com/ Karen Whitefield MSP] personal site
* [http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msp/membersPages/karen_whitefield/ Karen Whitefield MSP] official biography at the Scottish Parliament website
* [http://www.scottishlabour.org.uk/airdrieandshotts1/ Karen Whitefield MSP] profile at the site of Scottish Labour

CentralScotland MSPs