Kirsty McNeill

Kirsty McNeill
MP
Official portrait, 2026
Minister of State for International Development
Incumbent
Assumed office
21 July 2026
Prime MinisterAndy Burnham
Preceded byThe Baroness Chapman of Darlington
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
In office
9 July 2024 – 20 July 2026
Prime MinisterKeir Starmer
Preceded byJohn Lamont
Succeeded byMelanie Ward
Member of Parliament
for Midlothian
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 July 2024
Preceded byOwen Thompson
Majority8,167 (18.5%)
Personal details
PartyLabour and Co-operative
EducationBalliol College, University of Oxford
Websitekirstymcneill.com

Kirsty McNeill is a Scottish Labour politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Midlothian since 2024. She has served as Minister of State for International Development since July 2026.[1]

Early life and career

McNeill served as president of the Oxford University Student Union in 2001, during which time she successfully campaigned to prevent holocaust denier David Irving from speaking at a debate.[2]

She was previously an advisor to Gordon Brown when he was Prime Minister.[3] Prior to being elected, McNeill was executive director of policy, advocacy and campaigns at Save the Children.

Political career

In the 2005 general election, McNeill stood for Labour in the North Southwark and Bermondsey constituency, losing to the Liberal Democrat candidate, Simon Hughes.[4]

In the 2024 general election, McNeill was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Midlothian with 21,480 votes (48.6%) and a majority of 8,167 over the second place SNP candidate.[5] On 9 July 2024, she was appointed as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Scotland Office.[6][7][8] On 21 July 2026, she was appointed Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.[9]

She is a member of the Fabian Society and is openly LGBT+.[10][11]

References

  1. ↑ "Minister of State - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  2. ↑ Dickinson, Jim (1 July 2024). "The former student leaders entering Parliament". Wonkhe. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  3. ↑ Quinn, Andrew (5 March 2024). "Labour candidate Kirsty McNeill was 'raised by the SNP' but plans to win Midlothian for Keir Starmer". Daily Record. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  4. ↑ "Cockenzie resident selected as Labour's candidate for Midlothian at next election". East Lothian Courier. 17 February 2023.
  5. ↑ "Election 2024 > Midlothian results". BBC News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  6. ↑ "Kirsty McNeill appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State". GOV.UK. Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland. 9 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  7. ↑ "Kirsty McNeill MP". GOV.UK. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  8. ↑ "Ministerial Appointments: July 2024". GOV.UK. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  9. ↑ "Ministerial Appointments: July 2026". GOV.UK. 21 July 2026. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  10. ↑ "Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards". UK Government. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  11. ↑ https://www.lgbtlabour.org.uk/patrons
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