John Joseph McNally (born 1 February 1951) is a Scottish politician who was elected to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Falkirk in 2015, serving until he stood down in 2024. He is a member of the Scottish National Party (SNP).[1]
John McNally | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2017 | |
| Member of Parliament for Falkirk | |
| In office 7 May 2015 – 30 May 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Eric Joyce |
| Succeeded by | Euan Stainbank |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Joseph McNally 1 February 1951 (age 73) Denny, Scotland |
| Political party | Scottish National Party (2000–present) |
Political career
editMcNally joined the SNP in 2000.[2] He first became an elected representative in Falkirk council after winning the Herbertshire by-election in 2005.[3] Until this point, the SNP were unable to make a breakthrough in this area.[4]
He stood as a candidate in the Falkirk constituency at the 2010 general election, finishing second behind Labour's Eric Joyce.[5]
In 2015, McNally was elected with 34,831 votes, a majority of 19,701 over his nearest rival.[6] These numbers were the largest vote received by any Scottish MP, and the largest majority received by any Scottish MP at the 2015 UK general election,[2] the 93rd largest majority in the UK in 2015,[citation needed] and the highest number of votes polled for any SNP candidate in any election in the history of the party.[citation needed]
McNally retained his Falkirk seat at the 2017 general election with a significantly reduced majority of 4,923 votes.[7]
At the 2019 general election, McNally retained his Falkirk seat with a much increased majority of 14,948 votes over the second place Conservative candidate.[8] He is now one of 47 SNP MPs sitting in the House of Commons as the third-largest party, after the Conservatives and Labour.
On 18 October 2017, McNally attracted media attention when during Prime Minister's Questions he held out a red card in the Chamber while questioning why Scottish Conservative MP Douglas Ross had skipped a debate on Universal Credit to act as an assistant referee in a Champions League football match in Spain.[9][10] He asked Prime Minister Theresa May, "What signal does she think this sends to hard working members of the public who are expected to turn up for their day job or face sanctions?" May responded that Scottish Conservative MPs had done "more" for the interests of Scotland than the SNP had ever done.[11]
He is the SNP Spokesperson for the Environment;[12] he has drawn attention to issues such as unsustainable fishing and proper disposal of recyclable waste.[13][14]
He was one of 114 MPs who voted against the triggering of Article 50.[15]
He is a member of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom Environmental Audit Select Committee.[12]
McNally is the Chair of the Hair All-party Parliamentary Group on the Hair Industry.[16] He is currently campaigning for the introduction of mandatory registration in the Hair industry to combat modern slavery and protect consumers from untrained and unqualified practitioners.
He is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Disability, he has consistently campaigned on behalf of Changing Places toilets.[17]
He is a supporter of Arthritis Research UK.[18]
He signed the TIE (Time for Inclusive Education) pledge to support their call for LGBT-inclusive education.[19]
McNally announced on 10 July 2023 he would not be seeking re-election and will stand down as MP for Falkirk at the 2024 general election.[20]
Personal life
editA barber shop owner for over 30 years from Denny, he and his wife Sandra have two children.[21]
In 2016 McNally revealed that he had suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning while staying at a rented house in London, and feels that only a "rickety window" had prevented him from dying by ventilating the property. He used the experience to highlight the need for carbon monoxide detectors.[22]
References
edit- ^ "Falkirk 2015 General Election results". BBC. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ^ a b Buchanan, Jill (14 May 2015). "Barber John McNally cuts Labour in Falkirk and wins largest majority in Scotland for SNP". Falkirk Herald. Archived from the original on 8 February 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ^ Coulter, Laura (18 August 2005). "SNP romps to massive by-election victory". Falkirk Herald. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ^ "Johnny4Falkirk BIO". FK1 Biz. 12 May 2015. Archived from the original on 19 May 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
- ^ McCall, Chris (16 January 2015). "John McNally chosen as SNP General Election candidate for Falkirk". Falkirk Herald. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ^ "Falkirk County Election Results 2015". Falkirk Council. 12 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ^ "Falkirk parliamentary constituency - Election 2017". BBC News. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ "Falkirk parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- ^ Mann, Sebastian (19 October 2017). "Tory MP Douglas Ross skips welfare vote to be linesman at Barcelona football match". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ "'Red card' for refereeing Tory MP". BBC News. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ "Tory MP Shown Red Card At PMQs After Skipping Universal Credit Debate To Referee Football Match". HuffPost UK. 18 October 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ a b "John McNally MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ "Tesco, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer have raised major concerns about 'sustainable' tuna". The Independent. 17 January 2018. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ "Scots urged to recycle more food waste to help reduce council cuts". HeraldScotland. 26 December 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ "Full list of MPs who voted against triggering Article 50". TotalPolitics.com. 1 February 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
- ^ "Register Of All-Party Parliamentary Groups- Hair Industry". UK Parliament. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ "Falkirk MP praised for highlighting Changing Places Campaign". Falkirk Herald. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ "Who are your Arthritis Champions? | Arthritis Research UK". www.arthritisresearchuk.org. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
- ^ "TIE Campaign Pledge". Time for Inclusive Education (TIE). Retrieved 26 March 2019.
- ^ "Seventh SNP MP to step down at general election". BBC News. 10 July 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
- ^ Buchanan, Jill (8 May 2015). "Landslide win for SNP in Falkirk". Falkirk Herald. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ^ "How draughty windows saved SNP MP John McNally's life - Sunday Post". Sunday Post. 26 July 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
External links
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