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Gavin Strang

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The Right Honourable
Gavin Strang
Strang in 1997
Minister of State for Transport
In office
2 May 1997 – 18 June 1998
Prime MinisterTony Blair
Preceded byJohn Watts
Succeeded byJohn Reid
Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
In office
5 November 1992 – 2 May 1997
LeaderJohn Smith
Tony Blair
Preceded byRon Davies
Succeeded byDouglas Hogg
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
In office
18 October 1974 – 4 May 1979
Prime MinisterHarold Wilson
James Callaghan
Preceded byEdward Bishop
Succeeded byJerry Wiggin
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy
In office
7 March 1974 – 18 October 1974
Prime MinisterHarold Wilson
Preceded byPeter Emery
Succeeded byAlex Eadie
Member of Parliament
forEdinburgh East
Edinburgh East and Musselburgh(1997–2005)
In office
18 June 1970 – 12 April 2010
Preceded byGeorge Willis
Succeeded bySheila Gilmore
Personal details
Born
Gavin Steel Strang

(1943-07-10)10 July 1943(age 81)
Crieff,Perthshire,Scotland
Political partyLabour
Alma materUniversity of Edinburgh
Churchill College, Cambridge

Gavin Steel Strang(born 10 July 1943) is aScottish Labour Partypolitician who served asMember of Parliament(MP) forEdinburgh Eastfrom1970until2010(including two terms forEdinburgh East and Musselburgh).[1][2]He served as a minister in the 1974–79 Labour government under Prime MinistersHarold WilsonandJames Callaghan,as well as in the Cabinet underTony Blair.By the time of his retirement at the2010 general election,he was the longest-serving Scottish MP.

Early life

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A farmer's son, Strang grew up inPerthshireand attended the independentMorrison's AcademyinCrieff.After gaining aBScin Genetics from theUniversity of Edinburghin 1964, he gained a Diploma in Agricultural Science fromChurchill College, Cambridgeand a PhD in Agricultural Science from Edinburgh, presenting the thesis"The genetic aspects of litter productivity in British pigs".[3]From 1966 to 1968, he was a member of the Tayside Economic Planning Consultative Group and, from 1968 to 1970, was a scientist at theAgricultural and Food Research Counciland Animal Breeding Research Organisation in Edinburgh.

Parliamentary career

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Strang was first elected in the1970 general electionafter Labour MPGeorge Willis,who had representedEdinburgh Eastsince a1954 by-election,retired. Strang was a minister underHarold WilsonandJames Callaghan,serving asParliamentary Under Secretary of Stateat theDepartment of Energyin 1974 and then at theMinistry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Fooduntil 1979. In 1990, he was the last person to askMargaret Thatchera question atPrime Minister's Questions,which he used to criticise her impact on communities and the poor during her time in office.

Following the1997 general election,Strang was madeMinister of State for Transportwith a seat in theCabinet.However, he was sacked in June 1998. After becoming a backbencher, he was sometimes critical of government policy. He campaigned against the privatisation ofNational Air Traffic Services,and on 31 October 2006, was one of twelve Labour MPs to backPlaid Cymruand theScottish National Party's call for an inquiry into theIraq War.[4]From 1997 to the2005 general election,his seat was namedEdinburgh East and Musselburgh.

Strang was a member of theTribune Group of MPsand theCampaign for Labour Party Democracy.[5][6]He was Chairman of theAll-Party Group for World Government[7]and served on theEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.In November 2007, he announced he would stand down at the nextgeneral election,[8]but later reversed the decision. On 27 June 2008, Strang again changed his mind, and announced that he would indeed stand down at the next general election.[9]

Personal life

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Strang married Bettina in 1973. They have a son, and he has two step sons. His wife has been the chair of the arm of the advocacy organisationEuropa Donna.[10]Bettina died in 2016.

References

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  1. ^"Dr Gavin Strang".Hansard.Archivedfrom the original on 17 May 2021.Retrieved13 May2021.
  2. ^"Parliamentary career for Dr Gavin Strang - MPs and Lords".UK Parliament.Archivedfrom the original on 1 May 2021.Retrieved13 May2021.
  3. ^Strang, G. S. (1968)."Genetic aspects of litter productivity in British pigs".Archivedfrom the original on 2 December 2020.Retrieved22 February2021.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)
  4. ^"Labour MPs who rebelled on Iraq".BBC News.31 October 2006.Archivedfrom the original on 7 July 2018.Retrieved31 October2006.
  5. ^The Labour Party and the Labour left(Thesis). Brasenose College, Oxford University. 2001. p. 289 (Appendix 2).Retrieved16 April2019.
  6. ^"Campaign Briefing"(PDF).Campaign for Labour Party Democracy. 2013. p. 3.Archived(PDF)from the original on 16 April 2019.Retrieved16 April2019.
  7. ^"One World Trust".Archivedfrom the original on 6 February 2007.Retrieved28 January2007.
  8. ^Strang ready to quit Commons at next election,Edinburgh Evening News,26 November 2007
  9. ^Strang thinks again and vows to quit as MP in latest U-turnArchived30 June 2008 at theWayback Machine,The Scotsman,27 June 2008
  10. ^"EUROPA DONNA".Cancerworld.Archivedfrom the original on 24 October 2008.Retrieved8 October2008.
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament forEdinburgh East
1970–1997 		Constituency abolished
New constituency Member of Parliament forEdinburgh East and Musselburgh
1997–2005
Member of Parliament forEdinburgh East
2005–2010 		Succeeded by
Political offices
New creation Minister of State for Transport
1997–1998 		Succeeded by
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