Kali Mountford | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Colne Valley | |
| In office 2 May 1997 – 12 April 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Graham Riddick |
| Succeeded by | Jason McCartney |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 January 1954 Crewe, Cheshire, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse(s) | Ian Leedham |
Carol Jean Mountford (née Newton; born 12 January 1954) is a British Labour Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Colne Valley from 1997 until she retired from the House of Commons at the 2010 general election.
Early life
Mountford was born in Crewe, the daughter of an engine driver. She attended Crewe Grammar School for Girls (became King's Grove High School in the late 1970s and The Oaks Academy in 2016) on Buchan Grove in Crewe. In 1986, whilst working at the Crewe Jobcentre, she stood as the Liberal candidate in a County Council bye-election in Crewe Central ward on 18 September. At Crewe and Alsager College (now the Alsager Campus of Manchester Metropolitan University), she obtained a DipHE and a BA in Philosophy, Psychology and Sociology in 1988 as a mature student. Mountford served as a Sheffield City Councillor for four years and worked as a civil servant benefits clerk for twenty years prior to entering Parliament. She was also active in the CPSA (became the PCS in 1998) as a shop steward.
Parliamentary career
Mountford was selected as a Labour candidate through an all-women shortlist.[1] She was first elected at the 1997 general election for Colne Valley and served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Des Browne MP.
She retired from the Commons at the 2010 general election.[2] The Colne Valley seat was then won by the Conservative Party candidate, Jason McCartney. Although Labour fell to third place that election, they would regain the seat seven years later.
Controversies
Mountford was suspended from the House of Commons for five working days in 1998 for leaking a Social Security Select Committee report to the government. The House of Commons Standards and Privileges Committee stated that although there were some mitigating circumstances for her behaviour, she had in fact "aggravated her original offence by denying responsibility". In addition to the suspension Mountford was forced to apologise for her conduct.[3]
As a result of the controversy Mountford also resigned from the Social Security Select Committee.
Personal life
Mountford married her third husband Ian Leedham[4] in July 1995 in Sheffield; she has a son and daughter.
References
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2009.
- ^ Colne Valley MP Kali Mountford to stand down at election Archived 6 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine; Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 17 January 2009
- ^ House of Commons - Standards and Privileges - Tenth and Eleventh Report
- ^ Huddersfield Examiner - News - Local West Yorkshire News - Kali Mountford MP's expenses - sofas, TV and questions from the Fees Office Archived 6 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- Kali Mountford MP's official website
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Kali Mountford MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Kali Mountford MP
- BBC Politics
News items
Audio clips
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Graham Riddick | Member of Parliament for Colne Valley 1997 – 2010 | Succeeded by Jason McCartney |