'David Hamilton' (born
October 24,
1950) is the
Scottish Labour Party MP for
Midlothian.
David Hamilton was born in
Dalkeith,
Midlothian, and was educated at the local Dalkeith High School. In
1965, on leaving school, he worked as a
miner with the
National Coal Board for nineteen years, and remained a member of the
National Union of Mineworkers until
1988. He was
jailed for two months during the
1980s miners' strike. This was for the alleged assault on a Dalkeith man and although bail was denied many times he was acquitted at trial. Hamilton later claimed he had been "fitted up" by the police and security services. He worked as an employment training supervisor with Midlothian Council for two years from
1987, and was appointed as a placement officer for the
Craigmillar Festival Society in
1989, becoming the chief executive of
Craigmillar Opportunities
1992-
2000.
He was elected as a councillor to the Midlothian Borough Council in
1995, serving on the council for six years. He was elected to the
House of Commons at the
2001 General Election for Midlothian following the retirement of
Eric Clarke. Hamilton held the seat with a majority of 9,014 and has remained the MP there since. He made his
maiden speech on
July 12,
2001, in which he remembered one of his predecessors as the Midlothian MP and former
Prime Minister,
William Ewart Gladstone.
[1]
He is a member of the left-wing
Socialist Campaign Group, and in
2003 became a member of both the
Scottish affairs and the
work and pensions select committees until the
2005 General Election, since when he has been a member of the
defence and
European legislation committees.
He has been married to Jean Trench Macrae since
1969 and they have two daughters. He takes a keen interest in
biotechnology.
External links
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David Hamilton MP official site
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ePolitix - David Hamilton MP
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Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: David Hamilton MP
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TheyWorkForYou.com - David Hamilton MP
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The Public Whip - David Hamilton MP voting record
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BBC News - David Hamilton profile 10 February, 2005