David Linden (politician)

David Melvyn Linden[2] (born 14 May 1990) is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow East since 2017.[3] He served as the SNP Spokesperson for Work and Pensions from 2021 to 2022 and the Spokesperson for Housing, Communities and Local Government in the House of Commons from 2020 to 2021.

David Linden
MP
Official portrait, 2019
SNP Spokesperson for Social Justice in the House of Commons
Assumed office
10 December 2022
LeaderStephen Flynn
Preceded byKirsty Blackman
SNP Spokesperson for Work and Pensions in the House of Commons
In office
1 February 2021 – 29 March 2022
LeaderIan Blackford
Preceded byNeil Gray
Succeeded byKirsty Blackman
SNP Spokesperson for Housing, Communities and Local Government in the House of Commons
In office
7 January 2020 – 1 February 2021
LeaderIan Blackford
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byPatricia Gibson
Member of Parliament
for Glasgow East
Assumed office
8 June 2017
Preceded byNatalie McGarry
Majority5,566 (14.5%)
Personal details
Born (1990-05-14) 14 May 1990[1]
Glasgow, Scotland
Political partyScottish National Party

Early life

Linden was born on 14 May 1990 in Glasgow, Scotland.[4] He grew up in Cranhill and Garrowhill in the East End of Glasgow.[5] He was educated at Milncroft Primary School (closed in 2004 and replaced by Cranhill Primary), Garrowhill Primary School and then Bannerman High School in Baillieston.[6][7][8] He left school at the age of 16 and undertook an apprenticeship in Business Administration with Glasgow City Council.[9] He worked for Glasgow Credit Union for two years.[10]

Political career

He was the national convenor for the youth wing of the Scottish National Party (SNP), SNP Youth and campaigned for Scottish independence in the 2014 independence referendum. Linden worked as a researcher for John Mason MSP for Glasgow Shettleston.[11] Between 2015 and 2017, he worked as a parliamentary assistant for Alison Thewliss, MP for Glasgow Central.[12]

At the 2017 general election, the incumbent MP for Glasgow East, Natalie McGarry, was not reselected by the SNP. Linden was instead selected as the candidate for the seat.[13] He was elected, with a narrow majority of just 75 votes over Kate Watson of the Labour Party.[12]

Linden voted for the United Kingdom to remain within the EU during the 2016 UK EU membership referendum. In the indicative votes on 27 March 2019, he voted for a referendum on a Brexit withdrawal agreement.[14]

At the 2019 general election, Linden was re-elected with an increased majority of 5,566.[15]

At Westminster, Linden chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Premature and Sick Babies as well as the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Nutrition for Growth.[16]

In November 2020, Linden was reprimanded for using taxpayer's money to send 200 birthday cards to children turning 18, using prepaid envelopes embossed with a Westminster logo. A parliamentary inquiry said he had used them to promote himself and ordered him to pay back £147.34 in postage. Linden admitted he had breached the parliamentary code of conduct.[17]

In November 2021, the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, accused a delegation of MPs, including Linden, of conduct that "put military personnel in a difficult position" after drinking in an airport departure lounge and once in the air during a visit to Gibraltar-based soldiers. They were also accused of being impolite to airport staff. An SNP spokesman denied the allegations, describing them as "false".[18]

Personal life

Linden is the father to two children with his first wife, Roslyn, whom he married in 2012.[19] As of September 2021, Linden is in a relationship with Labour Party MP Cat Smith.[20]

In his spare time, Linden enjoys fishing, and is a fan of Airdrieonians Football Club.[16]

References
  1. "Members' Names Data Platform query". UK Parliament. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  2. "No. 27885". The Edinburgh Gazette. 19 June 2017. p. 1077.
  3. Kathleen Speirs (9 June 2017). "Glasgow's two new MPs - everything you need to know". Glasgow Live. MGN. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  4. Linden, David. A & C Black. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U289519. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  5. "Glasgow's two new MPs - everything you need to know". Glasgow Live. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  6. "GE2017 Essential Candidates" (PDF). DeHavilland. p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 November 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  7. Sim, Philip (16 June 2017). "First week at work for Scotland's new MPs". BBC News. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  8. "Primary Schools". Cranhill Primary School. Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  9. Paterson, Kirsteen (20 June 2017). "New SNP MP David Linden: Vote count was as nerve-wracking as my son's birth". The National.
  10. "Welfare Reform and Work Act". Hansard. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  11. Currie, Brian (3 November 2011). "New smear tactics claim against SNP". The Herald. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  12. Rodger, Hannah (10 June 2017). "Election 2017: Meet Glasgow's new boys in town". The Herald. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  13. Paterson, Stewart (22 May 2017). "Election 2017: New candidate David Linden looking for success". Evening Times. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  14. "How MPs voted on May's withdrawal deal defeat". Financial Times. 29 March 2019. Archived from the original on 2 September 2019.
  15. "Glasgow East parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  16. "Biography". David Linden MP. 7 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  17. "Rectification" (PDF). 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  18. "Three MPs accused of drunken conduct on armed forces Gibraltar trip". the Guardian. 11 November 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  19. "Tweet". Twitter. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  20. Rodger, Hannah (13 September 2021). "SNP MP finds love on Labour benches". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
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