Gillian Merron

This article is part of the Revolving Door project of Spinwatch.

Gillian Merron was the Labour member of parliament for Lincoln, between 1997 and 2010.

After losing her seat in the Conservative swing in the 2010 election, Merron became an independent consultant advising on policy and project development. She has also worked with Bus Users UK, Cool Milk Group, Weight Watchers International and the Jewish Leadership Council.

Career

Merron started as a regional officer with UNISON, and worked as a regional co-ordinator for Labour in the 1992 election.

Merron was the Labour member of parliament for Lincoln between 1997 and 2010. In 1997 she won with 54.9 percent of the vote, obtained 53.9 percent in 2001 and 45.4 percent in 2005, before losing to the Conservative's Karl McCartney, after winning 27.5 percent of the vote. Whilst in parliament her roles included, parliamentary under-secretary to the Department for Transport and Department for International Development, parliamentary secretary to the Cabinet Office and minister of state in the Department of Health.

Revolving door

• Independent consultant advising on policy and project development, particularly on transport and health matters, to the private, public and not for profit sectors in the UK and internationally, July 2010.Approved by ACOBA, who "saw no reason why she should not set up as an independent consultant as described, forthwith, subject to the conditions that she should not draw on any privileged information that was available to her as a Minister, and, for 12 months after leaving office, she should not undertake any work as a consultant which involved providing advice to any company or organisation on the terms of any bid or contract relating directly to the work of the Department of Health, and, for the same period, she should not become personally involved in lobbying UK Ministers or Crown servants, including Special Advisers, on behalf of any company or organisation or its clients".
• Chair, Bus Users UK, April 2011. Approved by ACOBA, who "saw no reason why she should not accept the appointment forthwith, subject to the condition that, for 12 months after leaving office, she should not become personally involved in lobbying Department for Transport Ministers or Crown servants, including Special Advisers, or local authority officials, on behalf of her new employer".
• Public affairs director, Cool Milk Group
• European representative, Weight Watchers International
• Vice-president, Jewish Leadership Council

Education

• Lancaster University