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Mhairi BlackScottish and British politician
Date of Birth: 12.09.1994
Country:  Operator |
Content:
Early Life and Education
Mari Black is a Scottish politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Paisley and Renfrewshire South since 2015. She was born to Alan Black, a long-time Labour Party supporter and former teacher. According to Black, her decision to join the Scottish National Party (SNP) was spurred by the "levels of poverty and inequality that prevail in our society" and the concept of "social justice" she learned in her Scottish Modern Studies course. In 2014, she left her part-time job at Pizza Mario to focus on her political campaign leading up to the Scottish independence referendum.
As a fourth-year student at the University of Glasgow, Black won the Westminster parliamentary election in the Paisley and Renfrewshire South constituency on May 7, 2015, defeating prominent Labour incumbent Douglas Alexander with 23,548 votes to his 17,854. Black received 50.9% of the popular vote, a 32.9% increase from the SNP's previous vote share in the constituency. Her victory was particularly significant as Labour had held the seat continuously for over 70 years.
Youngest MP in British History
At the age of 20, Black became the youngest MP in the history of the British Parliament since Christopher Monck was elected in 1667 at the age of 13. However, historians have questioned the accuracy of this record, arguing that before the 1832 Reform Act, underage members were rarely removed from Parliament. Notably, in 1806, 18-year-old Robert Jocelyn was elected to the House of Commons and retained his seat.
Parliamentary Career
Black delivered her maiden speech in Parliament on July 14, 2015, speaking on the crisis in the welfare state, rising food bank dependency, and criticizing austerity policies, particularly the government's approach to unemployment and cuts to welfare subsidies. Within five days, her speech had been viewed over 10 million times across various platforms.
In the 2017 snap general election, the Conservatives made their best showing in Scotland since 1983, with the SNP losing 21 seats and winning only 35 of the 59 Scottish constituencies. Notably, former SNP leader Alex Salmond and then-deputy leader Angus Robertson lost their seats. Despite the party's overall setback, Black retained her seat in Paisley and Renfrewshire South, although her margin of victory reduced from 6,000 to 2,500 votes.
Personal Life
Black identifies as a "traditional socialist" and non-religious but reads the Bible regularly. She considers Tony Benn, a left-wing Labour politician, as her political idol. Black has been an active Twitter user since the age of 14 and is a fan of Partick Thistle football club. She plays the guitar and told the BBC after the election that her favorite song is "The Times They Are A-Changing!" by Bob Dylan.
In recognition of her accomplishments, Black was awarded the "Young Alumnus of the Year" award at the University of Glasgow in 2015.
