Rosemary McKenna

Infobox MP
honorific-prefix =
name = Rosemary McKenna
honorific-suffix = CBE, MP


imagesize = 150px
constituency_MP = Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth (1997-2005)
parliament =
majority = 11,562 (29.6%)
predecessor = Norman Hogg
successor = Incumbent
term_start = 1 May 1997
term_end =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1941|05|8|df=yes
birth_place = Renfrewshire, Scotland
death_date =
death_place =
nationality = Scottish
spouse = James McKenna
party = Labour
relations =
children =
residence =
alma_mater =
occupation =
profession =
religion =


website =
footnotes =

Rosemary McKenna CBE (born 8 May, 1941 as Rosemary Harvey in Renfrewshire) is a Scottish Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom.She is Member of Parliament for Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East.cite news|url=http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm061115/debtext/61115-0002.htm|publisher=Parliament.uk website|title= Daily Hansard|date=15 November 2006]

Early life

Born to the Irish Cornelius Harvey and a Scottish mother,cite news|url=http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm061115/debtext/61115-0002.htm|publisher=Parliament.uk website|title= Daily Hansard|date=15 November 2006] Susan, she went to St Augustine's RC Secondary School on "Liddesdale Road" in Milton, East Dunbartonshire. From 1958-65, she worked as a secretary. She joined the Labour Party in 1966 when she moved to Cumbernauld. She studied at the Roman Catholic Notre Dame College of Education, receiving a Diploma in Primary Education in 1974. She was a primary school teacher from 1974-94 before becoming a local councillor and eventual Provost of the former Cumbernauld and Kilsyth District Council.

Parliamentary career

McKenna was first elected in 1997 to represent the former Cumbernauld and Kilsyth seat, which she retained at the 2001 election.

The seat was abolished for the 2005 general election and she contested the new Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East constituency, winning with a 1.1% swing against her to the Scottish National Party.

She was responsible for chairing the Labour Party's vetting procedure for candidates for the first election for the Scottish Parliament. This process saw many of the more left-oriented candidates rejected, including Dennis Canavan, Ian Davidson, Michael Connarty, all of whom were sitting Members of Parliament at the time, as well as Tommy Shephard, a former General Secretary of the Labour Party in Scotland.

Personal life

She married James McKenna in 1963. They have three sons and one daughter.

References

External links

* [http://www.rosemarymckenna.labour.co.uk Rosemary McKenna CBE MP] official site
* [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-3832,00.html Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Rosemary McKenna MP]
* [http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpn=Rosemary_McKenna&mpc=Cumbernauld+%26amp%3B+Kilsyth Voting Record at the Public Whip]