Carol Mochan is a

Scottish Labour Scottish Labour (), is the part of the UK Labour Party (UK), Labour Party active in Scotland. Ideologically social democratic and Unionism in the United Kingdom, unionist, it holds 23 of 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament and 37 of 57 Sco ...

politician. She has been a

Member of the Scottish Parliament Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP; ; ) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament. Electoral system The additional member system produces a form of proportional representation, where ...

(MSP) for the South Scotland region since the election in May 2021.

Background

Mochan grew up in

Ayrshire Ayrshire (, ) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county, in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Ayrshire and Arran covers the entirety ...

, attending Girvan Primary School and Auchinleck Academy. She worked in the NHS as a dietician for 17 years and during this time built up a wealth of experience around the needs of people and the extent of inequality within society. She is a lifelong dedicated and active trade union member. She lives in

Mauchline Mauchline (; ) is a town and civil parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In the 2001 census Mauchline had a recorded population of 4,105. It is home to the National Burns Memorial. Location The town lies by the Glasgow and South Western Railway ...

, Ayrshire, running a small family business. Before her election to the Scottish Parliament she was active in many roles within the community: a member of the community council and community association, chair of a parent led toddler group, and part of the school parent council.

Political career

She has served as Chair of the Carrick Cumnock and Doon Valley Constituency Labour Party and was a candidate in the council elections for

East Ayrshire Council East Ayrshire Council (Scottish Gaelic: ''Comhairle Shiorrachd Inbhir Àir an Ear'') is the political body covering the East Ayrshire local authority created in 1995, comprising nine wards, each electing three of four local councillors through th ...

in 2017. She stood for the UK Parliamentary seat of

Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created for the 2005 general election from parts of the old Ayr and Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley const ...

in 2017 and for the Scottish Parliamentary seat of Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley in 2016 and 2021.

Member of the Scottish Parliament

She was elected as one of Scottish Labour's three regional MSPs for South Scotland in 2021. She was appointed to the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Minister for Mental Wellbeing, Women's Health and Sport. She was one of only two Labour MSPs to vote against the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill. Mochan was one of 5 Labour MSPs who was absent for a Scottish Parliament vote calling for the UK Government to reverse its decision to means-test the Winter Fuel Payment.

Personal life

She is married and has two children. Mochan identifies as a

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

and a

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

References

External links

* Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from Girvan Labour MSPs Members of the Scottish Parliament 2021–2026 Female members of the Scottish Parliament Scottish feminists Scottish socialists {{MSP-stub