Tommy Sheppard (politician) explained

Tommy Sheppard
Office2:Member of Parliament
for Edinburgh East
Term Start2:7 May 2015
Term End2:30 May 2024
Predecessor2:Sheila Gilmore
Successor2:Constituency abolished
Birth Date:6 March 1959
Birth Place:Coleraine, Northern Ireland, UK
Party:Scottish National Party (2014–present)
Otherparty:Labour (1979–2003)
Alma Mater:University of Aberdeen
Office:SNP Scotland Spokesperson in the House of Commons
Term Start:4 September 2023
Term End:5 July 2024
Termstart1:20 June 2017
Termend1:7 January 2020
Leader:Stephen Flynn
Leader1:Ian Blackford
Predecessor:Philippa Whitford
Predecessor1:Margaret Ferrier
Successor1:Mhairi Black

Tommy Sheppard (born 6 March 1959) is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Edinburgh East from 2015 until the seat's abolition in 2024.[1] He has been SNP Spokesperson for Scotland since 2023.[2] He is a former SNP spokesperson for the Cabinet Office and a former SNP Shadow Leader of the House of Commons. He is also known for founding The Stand Comedy Clubs in Edinburgh and Glasgow.[3]

Early life and education

Tommy Sheppard was born on 6 March 1959 in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, and moved to nearby Portstewart at the age of seven. He was educated at Coleraine Academical Institution before attending the University of Aberdeen to study medicine.[4] He graduated with a degree in politics and sociology in 1982; in the same year he was elected vice-president of the National Union of Students (NUS) and moved to London.[5]

Political career

Sheppard left the NUS in 1984 to work in the East End of London and in 1986 was elected as a Labour member on Hackney London Borough Council. In 1990 he became Deputy Leader of the council.[5]

In 1994 he was appointed Assistant General Secretary of Scottish Labour under John Smith. In 1997 he was made redundant from this role due to internal policy disagreements.

He ceased to renew his Labour Party membership in 2003, stating: "I joined the Labour Party in 1979, just before my 21st birthday. Now 25 years later I've finally got around to cancelling the direct debit. I can no longer bring myself to vote Labour. My outlook has barely changed, but clearly the Labour Party has. I can no longer believe the Labour Party is likely to change the world very much, or at least not in a direction I would like".[6]

In 2012 he became the Edinburgh South organiser of the Yes Scotland campaign, but joined the SNP only in 2014 after the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.

Parliamentary career

Sheppard stood as the Labour candidate in Bury St Edmunds at the 1992 general election, coming second with 23.6% of the vote behind the Conservative candidate Richard Spring.[7]

In January 2015, Sheppard was selected as the SNP candidate for Edinburgh East.[8] At the 2015 general election, Sheppard was elected to Parliament as MP for Edinburgh East with 49.2% of the vote and a majority of 9,106.[9] [10]

Sheppard is a staunch republican, and during the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, he remarked "off with their heads", prompting some criticism.[11] Writing ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding in 2018, Sheppard said, "There are many things to be proud of in Britain, but the class system and the inequality it spawns is not one of them. The monarchy sits at the apex of that system of patronage and privilege".[12]

At the snap 2017 general election, Sheppard was re-elected as MP for Edinburgh East with a decreased vote share of 42.5% and a decreased majority of 3,425.[13] [14] During the election, he urged the Scottish Greens to step down from contesting marginal seats where the pro-independence vote might be split.[15]

Sheppard is an atheist and a humanist, and was elected vice chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group in September 2017.[16]

In August 2017, Sheppard encouraged First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to abandon plans for a second Scottish independence referendum before Brexit. He suggested the cause of Scottish independence would be served best if Sturgeon offered Scotland a vote on a future relationship with the European Union after Brexit and only once Scotland had become independent.[17] In November 2017 he claimed that Scotland still had a mandate for a second independence referendum and that the Conservatives were wrong to think that the loss in SNP seats in the snap general election had caused a delay in the timetable for a second vote.[18]

In August 2017, Sheppard expressed admiration for the 18th century Scottish reformer and radical Thomas Muir, linking Muir's politics and life to the modern Scottish independence movement.[19]

In March 2018, he was widely considered one of the possible contenders for the 2018 Scottish National Party depute leadership election after having stood in the previous 2016 depute leadership election, but ruled himself out.[20]

In July 2018, reflecting on the decision of SNP MPs to vote no confidence in the Labour Government in 1979, Sheppard told the House of Commons, "In retrospect, I would have done exactly the same thing”.[21]

At the 2019 general election, Sheppard was again re-elected, with an increased vote share of 48.4% and an increased majority of 10,417.[22] [23]

Due to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, Sheppard's constituency of Edinburgh East was abolished, and replaced with Edinburgh East and Musselburgh. In June 2024, Sheppard was selected as the SNP candidate for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh at the 2024 general election.[24] He was subsequently defeated by Labour.[25]

Personal life

In 2016, he told John Pienaar on BBC Radio 5 Live that he had taken amphetamines and cannabis when he was younger.[26]

Sheppard is a humanist, and in 2022 was elected chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group, whose secretariat is provided by Humanists UK.[27] He is also an honorary associate of the National Secular Society.[28]

Sheppard is a co-founder and former manager and promoter of The Stand Comedy Clubs in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle.[29]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Scottish MPs in Westminster: The full list of the SNP parliamentarians . . London . Tufft, Ben . 8 May 2015 . 8 May 2015.
  2. News: 2023-09-04 . SNP announces frontbench reshuffle at Westminster . en-GB . BBC News . 2023-09-10.
  3. News: Applause for The Stand as it celebrates twentieth birthday . The National . Glasgow . 21 March 2018 . 27 March 2018.
  4. News: Analysis: SNP bucks trend for privately educated MPs . . Glasgow . David . Leask . 1 June 2015 . 1 June 2015.
  5. Web site: Tommy Sheppard SNP Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Edinburgh East . tommysheppard.com.
  6. News: Crisis inside Labour Party . . 15 March 2003 . 3 June 2015.
  7. Web site: 9 April 1992 . UK General Election results April 1992 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110811135737/http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge92/i04.htm . 11 August 2011 . 6 December 2010 . Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources . Politics Resources.
  8. News: Tommy Sheppard named SNP Edinburgh East candidate . Ian . Swanson . . Edinburgh . 27 January 2015 . 11 May 2015.
  9. Web site: Election Data 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151017112223/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2015.txt . 17 October 2015 . 17 October 2015 . Electoral Calculus.
  10. Web site: Council . The City of Edinburgh . UK Parliamentary election results 2015 | The City of Edinburgh Council . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150923234024/http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/download/1363/uk_parliamentary_election_results_2015 . 23 September 2015 . 24 August 2015 . www.edinburgh.gov.uk.
  11. News: The maverick SNP MPs heading to Westminster . The Daily Telegraph . London . 8 May 2015 . David . Barrett . Tom . Whitehead.
  12. Web site: Tommy Sheppard: Insults won't change my mind about the monarchy.
  13. News: Edinburgh East parliamentary constituency - Election 2017. BBC News. 5 March 2018.
  14. Web site: 29 January 2019 . 7 April 2018 . Commons Briefing Paper 7979. General Election 2017: results and analysis . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20191112183438/https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7979/CBP-7979.pdf . 12 November 2019 . . Second.
  15. News: 26 April 2017 . SNP MP Tommy Sheppard calls on Greens to avoid splitting pro-independence vote in marginal seats . The National . Glasgow . Kathleeen . Nutt . 5 March 2018.
  16. Web site: 13 September 2017 . Crispin Blunt and Joan Bakewell elected as Chair and Co-Chair of humanists in Parliament . 14 September 2017 . Humanists UK.
  17. News: Ditch threat of referendum before Brexit, Tommy Sheppard tells Nicola Sturgeon . Sanderson . Daniel . 25 August 2017 . The Times . London . subscription . 10 March 2018.
  18. News: Andrew . Learmonth . Tommy Sheppard: We've got a mandate for indyref 2 and if you ignore our wishes we'll use it . 14 November 2017 . The National . Glasgow . 10 March 2018.
  19. News: 26 August 2017 . Tommy Sheppard: How we win the next referendum . The National . Glasgow . 10 March 2018.
  20. News: 4 March 2018 . Scott . MacNab . Senior MPs ruled out of running for SNP deputy position . 5 March 2018 . The Scotsman . Edinburgh.
  21. Web site: SNP MP criticised for defending party's role in bringing Thatcher to power. 25 July 2018 .
  22. News: Edinburgh East parliamentary constituency - Election 2019 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20191213083748/https://www.bbc.com/news/politics/constituencies/S14000022 . 13 December 2019 . 2019-12-16 . BBC News . en-GB.
  23. Web site: 28 January 2020 . Commons Briefing Paper 8749. General Election 2019: results and analysis . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211118043715/https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8749/CBP-8749.pdf . 18 November 2021 . 19 January 2022 . . London.
  24. Web site: 7 June 2024 . UK Parliament Election 2024 .
  25. News: Edinburgh East and Musselburgh - General election results 2024 . 2024-07-05 . BBC News . en-GB.
  26. Web site: SNP MP has admitted taking amphetamines . https://web.archive.org/web/20180305145726/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11982458/SNP-MP-has-admitted-taking-amphetamines.html. dead. 5 March 2018. Press Association . video courtesy BBC Radio 5Live/In Short 1:27PM GMT . 8 November 2015 . 5 March 2018.
  27. Web site: New officers elected by All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group. Humanists UK. 25 May 2022. 5 July 2022.
  28. Web site: National Secular Society Honorary Associates. National Secular Society. Retrieved 27 July 2019
  29. Web site: Johnston . Alex . 8 May 2015 . Tommy Sheppard, local councillor turned comedy impresario, is elected MP . 28 October 2015 . The List.