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]
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 |
She was a Glasgow City Councillor, until her resignation on 2 September 2024. [2]
Political career
editSince 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
editBurke 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 an IT course 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
editBurke lives in the Easterhouse area of Glasgow with her husband. She has one daughter and two granddaughters.
Parliamentary Career
editOne of her first votes in parliament, on 23 July 2024, was a vote against ending the Two-Child Limit to benefit payments.[10]
Burke made her Maiden Speech in the House of Commons on 15 October 2024, on the "House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill"
Controversies
editEvidence to embezzlement trial
editIn 2018, as a sitting Councillor, Burke gave evidence at Glasgow Sheriff Court in the trial of an ex-Labour councillor colleague, 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 'burner' 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
editIn February 2024, Burke, then a Glasgow City Councillor 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] Burke, alongside all other Glasgow Labour Councillors missed the 2023 budget setting meeting, due to the Labour Group 'boycotting' the session.
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/
External links
edit
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
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