Maureen Burke
Maureen Burke MP | |
---|---|
![]() Official portrait, 2024 | |
Member of Parliament for Glasgow North East | |
Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
Preceded by | Anne McLaughlin |
Majority | 4,637 (13.6%) |
Glasgow City Council Councillor for North East | |
In office 3 May 2012 – 2 September 2024 | |
Personal details | |
Political party | Labour |
Alma mater | John Wheatley College |
Maureen Burke (born September 1958) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow North East since 2024.[1]
She was a Glasgow City Councillor, until her resignation on 2 September 2024. [2]
Political career
[edit]Since the 2012 Glasgow City Council election, she represented the North East ward on Glasgow City Council as a Councillor,[3] and was the chair of the Glasgow City Council Operational Performance and Delivery Scrutiny Committee, until her resignation in September 2024.[4]
She was a remunerated director of Glasgow East Women's Aid[5] before its liquidation in March 2024.[6]
At the 2024 United Kingdom general election, she was elected as the Labour Member of Parliament for Glasgow North East with a majority of 4,637 votes over the SNP incumbent, Anne McLaughlin.[7]
Pre-Political Career
[edit]Burke worked as a factory operative at A. & J. Gelfer Ltd, a tie manufacturing factory in Bridgeton, Glasgow from the age of 15,[8] before moving into administrative support for the company, which went into liquidation in December 2000.[9] She then studied at John Wheatley College, aged 40 before working as a parliamentary assistant for former Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow Baillieston and MP for Glasgow East, Margaret Curran until the 2015 general election.
Personal life
[edit]Burke lives in the Easterhouse area of Glasgow with her husband. She has one daughter and two granddaughters.
Parliamentary Career
[edit]One of her first votes in parliament on July 23rd 2024, was a vote against ending the Two-Child Limit to benefit payments.[10]
Controversies
[edit]Evidence to embezzlement trial
[edit]In 2018, as a sitting Councillor, Burke gave evidence at Glasgow Sheriff Court in the trial of an ex-Labour councillor, Yvonne Kucuk, for whom Burke worked as a personal assistant.[11] The case examined the embezzlement of £8690 from local charity the 'People's Development Trust' – in 2016 Burke was in possession of a bag with £2000 in cash, a mobile phone and some paperwork given by Kucuk and was asked to return it to the trust; she had handed the bag over to the then, trust manager Michael Kennedy, who proceeded to count the money in front of Burke.[12]
Cruising during council budget setting
[edit]In February 2024, Burke, then a Glasgow City Councillor (And Labour Party Genereal Election Candidate for Glasgow North East) missed a sitting of Full Council, where the City's £3 billion budget for 2024/27 was debated and set. This was as a result of Councillor Burke being on a luxury cruise. Although there was an option to call in remotely Councillor Burke refused to do this while away. [13]
References
[edit]- ^ "Election 2024 > Glasgow North East results". BBC News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/glasgow-elections-held-two-labour-29853716
- ^ https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/article/1701/Councillor-Maureen-Burke
- ^ https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/glasgow-elections-held-two-labour-29853716
- ^ "Register of Interests: Maureen Burke". Glasgow City Council. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "Women's Aid staff given 'no notice' before closure amid bullying allegations". STV News. 8 March 2024.
- ^ "Election 2024 > Glasgow North East results". BBC News. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
- ^ Hilley, Sarah (14 May 2021). "Glasgow Election 2022: North East candidates push for more police and more funding". glasgowlive.co.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "Dora Street Bridgeton".
- ^ "King's Speech (Motion for an Address): Amendment (d) - Commons' votes in Parliament - UK Parliament".
- ^ Former councillor accused of embezzling £8k from trust, Glasgow Times, 13 October 2018
- ^ Ex-Glasgow councillor 'handed over bag containing £2,000', BBC News, 12 October 2018
- ^ https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24123423.scottish-labour-candidate-maureen-burke-fire-cruise-clash/
- Living people
- Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies
- UK MPs 2024–present
- Scottish Labour MPs
- Scottish Labour councillors
- Politicians from Glasgow
- Women councillors in Glasgow
- 1958 births
- Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Glasgow constituencies
- Labour MP (UK) stubs