Lillian Jones is a

Scottish Labour Party Scottish Labour (), is the part of the UK Labour Party active in Scotland. Ideologically social democratic and unionist, it holds 23 of 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament and 37 of 57 Scottish seats in the House of Commons. It is repres ...

politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kilmarnock and Loudoun since

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

. Prior to being elected as an MP in July 2024, Jones served as a councillor for the Kilmarnock West and Crosshouse ward within East Ayrshire Council from 3 May 2012 until her resignation on 2 September 2024, as well as working within

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern Ireland) which was create ...

Non–political career

Outside politics, Jones worked for

during her tenure as a councillor on East Ayrshire Council. Following her victory in the 2024 general election, it remains unclear whether Jones will retain this post within

NHS Scotland NHS Scotland, sometimes styled NHSScotland, is the publicly–funded healthcare system in Scotland and one of the four systems that make up the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. It operates 14 territorial NHS boards across Scotland ...

whilst serving as MP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun.

East Ayrshire Council

Jones was elected as a councillor for the Kilmarnock West and Crosshouse ward at the 2012 East Ayrshire Council election, receiving 1,025 votes. She was subsequently re–elected to the ward in the 2017 East Ayrshire Council election and 2022 East Ayrshire Council election. During her tenure as a councillor on East Ayrshire Council, Jones served as a member on the Governance and Scrutiny Committee, Grants Committee, Local Government Licensing Panel and the Police and Fire and Rescue Committee. Following her election to the House of Commons in the 2024 United Kingdom general election, there had been speculation that a by-election could be held in East Ayrshire Council to replace Jones. Whilst MPs are not prevented from serving as a local councillor and MP at the same time, it is, however, often expected that MPs who serve as councillors at the time they are elected as an MP stand down from their council position. In a video posted to her

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

account on 2 September 2024, Jones confirmed she had tendered her resignation "with immediate effect" following writing to the Chief Executive of East Ayrshire Council, and confirmed a by-election would be held in the ward to select her successor. The 2024 Kilmarnock West and Crosshouse by–election to elect her successor to the Kilmarnock West and Crosshouse ward is scheduled to take place on 14 November 2024. Jones was succeeded as Councillor for Kilmarnock West and Crosshouse by Scottish Labour candidate Jayne Sangster following the November 2024 East Ayrshire Council by–election.

Parliamentary career

Jones has represented the Kilmarnock and Loudoun parliamentary constituency at the

House of Commons of the United Kingdom The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 memb ...

since 4 July 2024, following her election during the

2024 United Kingdom general election The 2024 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 4 July 2024 to elect all 650 members of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons. The opposition Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, won a lan ...

Nomination as candidate

Jones was selected as the

candidate for the Kilmarnock and Loudoun parliamentary constituency at the

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parliament, the

. The

was scheduled for 4 July, with Jones and Scottish Labour activists beginning campaigning across the constituency shortly after the announcement was made by

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Rishi Sunak Rishi Sunak (born 12 May 1980) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2022 to 2024. Following his defeat to Keir Starmer's La ...

Election

The Kilmarnock and Loudoun seat had previously been considered a Scottish Labour stronghold, having been represented by a Scottish Labour MP since

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until the election of

Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party (SNP; ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic party. The party holds 61 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament, and holds 9 out of the 57 Scottish seats in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, ...

candidate Alan Brown in the

2015 United Kingdom general election The 2015 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 7 May 2015 to elect 650 Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons. The Conservative Party (U ...

. Brown would hold the seat through the subsequent elections, and contested the seat in the 2024 election alongside Jones for Scottish Labour. Jones was the first Scottish Labour candidate to be declared victorious during election results through 4–5 July, defeating incumbent MP, Alan Brown of the SNP, with a majority of 5,119. Speaking about being elected MP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Jones described it as a "poignant moment". Jones said that she felt the result of the election in Kilmarnock and Loudoun "was going to be really close, that’s what was coming through in the polls".

Tenure

Speaking following her victory in the election contesting the Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency, Jones voted to "deliver what I said I would deliver", and claimed that will be a "a constituency based MP". Following the election, Jones thanked Alan Brown, the

MP who won the Kilmarnock and Loudoun seat at the

for his "time in office".

Personal life

Jones is openly LGBT+. https://x.com/JamesAsser/status/1859719790413349332

External links

Lillian Jones election results
at the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Lillian Living people Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies Scottish Labour councillors Scottish Labour MPs UK MPs 2024–present Councillors in Ayrshire NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Women councillors in Scotland Year of birth missing (living people) LGBTQ members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom Scottish lesbian politicians