Jo Swinson

Former Lib Dem MP and junior business minister Jo Swinson

Jo Swinson was the Liberal Democrats MP for East Dunbartonshire from 2005 to 2015.

Hit by the surge in support for the Scottish National Party (SNP) in the 2015 general election, Swinson lost her seat to the SNP candidate John Nicolson. Her seat was considered the most marginal out of the 11 seats held by her party in Scotland, which she had won in 2010 with a majority of 2,184 over Labour.

Swinson served as parliamentary under-secretary at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills from 2012 with responsibility for employment and equalities minister

Career

After graduating in 2000, Swinson worked in Yorkshire as a marketing and PR manager for the Emap radio station Viking FM. In 2002 she moved back to East Dunbartonshire and worked for Glasgow-based media business SpaceandPeople.

Swinson was previously the Liberal Democrats spokesperson on foreign affairs, equality, Scotland and the arts. She was also a member of the Environmental Audit Select Committee from 2007 to 2010 as well as being a chairperson of the Liberal Democrats Women’s Policy Working Group in 2009.

Personal life

Swinson is married to fellow LibDem MP Duncan Hames, who also lost his seat in the 2015 general election.

Education

Swinson attended Douglas Academy in Milngavie, before that she studied management at the London School of Economics.

=Affiliations

As a backbencher, Swinson co-founded the All Party Parliamentary Groups on Allergy, Wellbeing Economics, and Body Image. She is a governor of the Ditchley Foundation. She was also a member of the Speaker’s Conference from 2009 to 2010.