Jackie Baillie


Jacqueline Marie Baillie is a Scottish Labour Party politician serving as Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party since 2020. She has been Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Dumbarton constituency since 1999.
Baillie served as Scottish Labour Spokesperson for Economy, Fair Work and Jobs, later renamed Finance, Economy and Fair Work, from December 2017 to October 2018. She has served as Spokesperson for Finance, Jobs and Fair Work since April 2020.

Early life and career

Baillie was born on 15 January 1964 in British Hong Kong to Sophie and Frank Barnes. Her mother is Scottish and her father Portuguese. After education at the private St Anne's School, Windermere in the Lake District, she studied at Cumbernauld College and the University of Strathclyde. She went on to work as a resource centre manager at Strathkelvin District Council and a community economic development manager at East Dunbartonshire Council.

Political career

Baillie was chair of the Scottish Labour Party in 1997. She was first elected at the inaugural election for the Scottish Parliament in May 1999. She was re-elected in 2003. A member of the Scottish Parliament's Justice 2 Committee and Public Petitions Committee, she was previously a member of the Scottish Executive, serving as Minister for Social Justice when Henry McLeish was First Minister, during which time she was involved with the Homelessness Task Force.
As a backbench MSP, Baillie has campaigned for a public inquiry into a lethal outbreak of Clostridium difficile colitis at the Vale of Leven Hospital in her constituency. The inquiry into the outbreak cost £10 million, while the families were offered £1 million, something which prompted Baillie to make an emotional plea to Health Secretary Shona Robison during a session of the Scottish Parliament in November 2014 during which she pressed for greater compensation for those affected.
In 2007, Baillie defended Wendy Alexander on Newsnight Scotland during the controversy regarding alleged illegal donations to Alexander's leadership campaign.
In 2009, Baillie successfully brought into being an act of the Scottish Parliament, with the unanimous support of all MSPs, to allow for greater protection of disabled parking spaces.
Baillie has opposed minimum pricing of alcohol, being unconvinced about the overall benefits. In 2010, she stated it would not be the best way of tackling the country's alcohol-related problems but instead backed a tax-based alternative amongst other measures.
Baillie held the position of Shadow Health Minister in the Shadow Cabinet of Iain Gray, retaining that post in December 2011 following the election of Johann Lamont as Gray's successor. When Lamont announced a major shakeup of the Labour frontbench team on 28 June 2013, Baillie was moved from Health to Social Justice and Welfare.
On 27 March 2014, Baillie stood in for Johann Lamont at First Minister's Questions while Lamont was attending the funeral of veteran Labour politician Tony Benn. She also stood in at FMQs following Lamont's resignation as Labour leader in October 2014. Baillie ruled herself out of standing in the leadership election that followed Lamont's departure, stating that she wanted a "supporting role" rather than to be Labour leader.
In December 2017, Baillie was reduced to tears when raising the concern of fire safety following the deaths of two men in the Cameron House Hotel Fire.
In January 2020, Baillie announced that she would be standing as a candidate for the post of Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party. On 3 April, it was announced she had won the contest by 10,311 votes to Matt Kerr's 7,528 votes.

Personal life

Baillie married Stephen Baillie in 1982. She lives in Dumbarton with her daughter. During her time as MSP, she studied for a Master of Science degree in Local Economic Development at the University of Glasgow.