Hugh Gaffney

Hugh Lawrence Gaffney (born 10 August 1963)[1] is a Scottish Labour politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill from 2017 to 2019.[2] He was a Member of North Lanarkshire Council from 2017 to 2019.

This article is about the Scottish politician. For Americal General, see Hugh Joseph Gaffey.

Hugh Gaffney
Official portrait, 2017
Member of Parliament
for Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill
In office
8 June 2017 – 6 November 2019
Preceded byPhil Boswell
Succeeded bySteven Bonnar
Member of North Lanarkshire Council
for Thorniewood
In office
4 May 2017 – 1 July 2019
Succeeded byNorah Mooney
Personal details
Born
Hugh Lawrence Gaffney

(1963-08-10) 10 August 1963
Uddingston, South Lanarkshire, Scotland
Political partyLabour

Early life

Gaffney was raised in Uddingston, South Lanarkshire; he has three brothers and two sisters. He is married and has three sons.[3] Since he was in his twenties, until being elected, Gaffney worked for Royal Mail and Parcelforce,[4] and wore his former work uniform to Westminster on his first day in the House of Commons.[5]

Political career

Gaffney was elected to the North Lanarkshire Council in 2017,[6] representing the Thorniewood ward.[7] In the 2017 general election, he stood as the Labour candidate for Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill, defeating the incumbent Scottish National Party MP Phil Boswell.

In the 2017 Scottish Labour leadership election, Gaffney supported Richard Leonard to succeed Kezia Dugdale to be Scottish Labour leader over the alternative candidate Anas Sarwar; Gaffney's own Constituency Labour Party (CLP) took a firm stance on supporting Leonard's campaign.[8]

In January 2018, Gaffney made jokes at a Labour Students Burns supper in which he used the phrases "bent" to describe gay people and "chinky" to describe Chinese food.[9][10] He was not suspended from the Labour Party but instead given mandatory equality and diversity training.[11] He later also apologised for the jokes.[9]

Gaffney resigned as a councillor in North Lanarkshire Council in July 2019, triggering a council by-election. In his resignation letter to the council's chief executive, Gaffney said he had been privileged to serve the community into which he had been born and bred.[12]

In the general election of December 2019, he was defeated by Steven Bonnar of the SNP.

Personal life

In 2010 Gaffney was one of the founding members of the Keir Hardie Society, alongside Scottish author and longtime Labour member Bob Holman and former Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard, with whom Gaffney has been friends since the 1990s.[8] Gaffney supports Albion Rovers Football Club.[13]

References
  1. "Hugh Gaffney MP". myparliament.info. MyParliament. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  2. Judith Tonner (9 June 2017). "Coatbridge election result: Labour regain constituency from SNP". Daily Record. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  3. MP, Hugh Gaffney (10 June 2017). "After a hectic few days, I'm delighted to have been elected MP for the area I grew up in. Thanks to voters and activists for their support.pic.twitter.com/FTTMx3mdfp". @HughGaffneyMP. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  4. LinkedIn
  5. MP, Hugh Gaffney (12 June 2017). "Always thought it was important to remember your roots – so on my way to Westminster, I wore my old work shirt as a reminder. #ForTheManypic.twitter.com/EcYBbPpitb". @HughGaffneyMP. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  6. "Gaffney, Hugh Lawrence". Who's Who. Vol. 2018 (February 2018 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 13 February 2018. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  7. Mike McQuaid (9 June 2017). "Mailman Hugh delivers for Labour". Motherwell Times. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  8. "Delighted to have been endorsed by my friend Hugh Gaffney MP". Richard Leonard MSP. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  9. "Labour MP sorry for 'offensive' remarks". BBC News. 7 February 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  10. "Chinese New Year Should Not Be The Only Time You See East Asians In The Mainstream Media". Huffington Post UK. 16 February 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  11. Philip, Andy (9 February 2018). "Richard Leonard dismisses MP suspension calls after 'deeply offensive' remarks". Daily Record. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  12. "Scots Labour MP triggers council by-election". 1 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  13. Pirie, Mark (26 April 2019). "Famous fans and club legends back Albion Rovers ahead of crunch Berwick clash". Daily Record. Retrieved 6 October 2023.


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