Aileen Elizabeth Campbell (born 18 May 1980) is a Scottish football administrator and former politician who has served as the chief executive of
Scottish Women's Football
Scottish Women's Football (SWF), formerly known as the Scottish Women’s Football Association (SWFA) between 1972 and 2001, is the governing body for women's association football in Scotland. It is an affiliated national association of the Scotti ...
since 2021. A member of the
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party (SNP; sco, Scots National Pairty, gd, Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic political party in Scotland. The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish independence from ...
, she was a
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP; gd, Ball Pàrlamaid na h-Alba, BPA; sco, Memmer o the Scots Pairliament, MSP) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.
Electoral system
The ad ...
(MSP) for fourteen years and was a
Scottish Government minister for ten, having served on the
Scottish Cabinet as
Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government
The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government, commonly referred to as the Social Justice Secretary, is a position in the Scottish Government Cabinet. The Cabinet Secretary has overall responsibility for local governmen ...
, from 2018 to 2021.
Born and raised in
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
, Campbell is a politics and history graduate of the
University of Glasgow
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, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms
Flag
, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
, ...
.
She served as the National Convenor of the SNP's youth wing from 2005 to 2006, and was an editor for the ''Keystone'' magazine. Before becoming an elected official, she worked for politicians like
Nicola Sturgeon
Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon (born 19 July 1970) is a Scottish politician serving as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) since 2014. She is the first woman to hold either position. She has been a member of ...
,
Shona Robison
Shona McRory Robison (born 26 May 1966) is a Scottish politician serving as the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government since 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she has been the Member of the Scottish ...
and
Stewart Hosie
Stewart Hosie PC (born 3 January 1963) is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Dundee East since 2005. He has served as the SNP Treasury Spokesperson since December 2022. He served as the SNP Sh ...
.
In the
2007 Scottish Parliament election
The 2007 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the third general election to the devolved Scottish Parliament since it was created in 1999. Local elections in Scotland fe ...
, she stood as the SNP's candidate for the
Clydesdale Clydesdale is an archaic name for Lanarkshire, a traditional county in Scotland. The name may also refer to:
Sports
* Clydesdale F.C., a former football club in Glasgow
* Clydesdale RFC, Glasgow, a former rugby union club
* Clydesdale RFC, South ...
constituency, but came second. Although she failed to win, Campbell was elected as an
additional member for the
South of Scotland South of Scotland may refer to:
* The southern portion of Scotland
** Geography of Scotland
* South of Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region)
* South of Scotland (European Parliament constituency)
* South of Scotland District (rugby union) ...
region. In the
2011 election, she successfully defeated
Scottish Labour
Scottish Labour ( gd, Pàrtaidh Làbarach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Labour Pairty; officially the Scottish Labour Party) is a social democratic political party in Scotland. It is an autonomous section of the UK Labour Party. From their peak of ...
's
Karen Gillon
Karen Macdonald Gillon (' Turnbull; born 18 August 1967) is a Scottish Labour Party politician who served as Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the constituency of Clydesdale from 1999 to 2011.
Early life and career
Gillon was born ...
in Clydesdale.
After Campbell's re-election to the
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyro ...
, she was appointed a junior minister in the
Scottish Government as
Minister for Local Government and Planning
The Minister for Local Government Empowerment and Planning ( gd, Ministear airson Cumhachd Riaghaltas Ionadail agus Dealbhaidh) is a junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. As a result, the Minister does not attend the Scottish Cab ...
, a post she held for seven months. From 2011 to 2016, she served as
Minister for Children and Young People
The Minister for Children and Young People is a junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. As a result, the Minister does not attend the Scottish Cabinet. The post was created in May 2007 after the appointment of the Scottish Nationa ...
. In December 2014, she became the first person to take maternity leave while serving as a minister in government.
After being
re-elected in 2016, Campbell was appointed the role of
Minister for Public Health and Sport.
In 2018, following a cabinet reshuffle, Campbell was promoted to Cabinet and served as
Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government
The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government, commonly referred to as the Social Justice Secretary, is a position in the Scottish Government Cabinet. The Cabinet Secretary has overall responsibility for local governmen ...
. In March 2020, she announced her intention to step down as an MSP, therefore relinquishing her role in government.
Early life
Campbell was born on 18 May 1980 in
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
, Scotland. She grew up on her parents'
tenant farm
A tenant farmer is a person (farmer or farmworker) who resides on land owned by a landlord. Tenant farming is an agricultural production system in which landowners contribute their land and often a measure of operating capital and management, ...
in Perthshire and was educated at Collace Primary School and
Perth Academy
Perth Academy is a state comprehensive secondary school in Perth, Scotland. It was founded in 1696. The institution is a non-denominational one. The school occupies ground on the side of a hill in the Viewlands area of Perth, and is within the Pe ...
.
She studied Politics and History at the
University of Glasgow
, image = UofG Coat of Arms.png
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms
Flag
, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
, ...
. From 2005−06 Campbell was national convener of the SNP youth wing, the Young Scots for Independence.
Since graduating, she has worked as editor of construction magazine ''Keystone'' and was editorial assistant on a short-lived pro-
independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
newspaper, the ''
Scottish Standard
The ''Scottish Standard'' was a weekly Scottish newspaper, supportive of Scottish independence. It was launched on 9 March 2005 with a 48-page issue in full-colour that was on sale for 70p. Seven issues were published in all.
The intention of ...
''. Before her election to Parliament, Campbell also worked for
Nicola Sturgeon
Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon (born 19 July 1970) is a Scottish politician serving as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) since 2014. She is the first woman to hold either position. She has been a member of ...
and as a researcher for
Shona Robison
Shona McRory Robison (born 26 May 1966) is a Scottish politician serving as the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government since 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she has been the Member of the Scottish ...
and
Stewart Hosie
Stewart Hosie PC (born 3 January 1963) is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Dundee East since 2005. He has served as the SNP Treasury Spokesperson since December 2022. He served as the SNP Sh ...
.
Member of the Scottish Parliament
![Aileen Campbell](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Aileen_Campbell.jpg)
At the
2007 Scottish Parliament election
The 2007 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the third general election to the devolved Scottish Parliament since it was created in 1999. Local elections in Scotland fe ...
, Campbell was the SNP candidate for the
Clydesdale Clydesdale is an archaic name for Lanarkshire, a traditional county in Scotland. The name may also refer to:
Sports
* Clydesdale F.C., a former football club in Glasgow
* Clydesdale RFC, Glasgow, a former rugby union club
* Clydesdale RFC, South ...
constituency where she finished second but was subsequently elected as an additional member for the
South of Scotland South of Scotland may refer to:
* The southern portion of Scotland
** Geography of Scotland
* South of Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region)
* South of Scotland (European Parliament constituency)
* South of Scotland District (rugby union) ...
region due to her being fifth on the SNP's regional list.
Campbell suffered a minor injury on 23 January 2008, receiving medical treatment at
Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, or RIE, often (but incorrectly) known as the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, or ERI, was established in 1729 and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest v ...
before returning to the parliament for a vote. The vote was won by 64 votes to 62.
In early 2009, Campbell launched the "Play it again" scheme with the
Scottish Arts Council
The Scottish Arts Council ( gd, Comhairle Ealain na h-Alba, sco, Scots Airts Cooncil) was a Scottish public body responsible for the funding, development and promotion of the arts in Scotland. The Council primarily distributed funding from the ...
and others to encourage people across Scotland to donate their unwanted and unloved musical instruments to be passed on to children across the country to give them the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of music. Campbell was nominated for
Real Radio
Real Radio was a network of five regional radio stations broadcasting to North East England, North West England, Scotland, Wales and Yorkshire. Each station broadcast a mix of local and networked programming. On Tuesday 6 May 2014, the station ...
's "Best New Scottish Politician 2009 Award".
Campbell was elected as MSP for Clydesdale on 5 May 2011 after receiving an 8.9% swing from Labour, giving her a majority of 4,216.
She served as
Minister for Local Government and Planning
The Minister for Local Government Empowerment and Planning ( gd, Ministear airson Cumhachd Riaghaltas Ionadail agus Dealbhaidh) is a junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. As a result, the Minister does not attend the Scottish Cab ...
from 25 May 2011 until 6 December 2011. when she was moved to the position of Minister for Children and Young People. On 18 December 2014, Campbell began maternity leave and
Fiona McLeod
Fiona Grace McLeod (born 3 December 1957) is a Scottish politician who served as acting Minister for Children and Young People from 2014 to 2015. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she was Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) f ...
acted as Minister for Children and Young People until Campbell returned on 1 September 2015. This was the first time that a Minister of the Scottish Government had taken maternity leave.
In the
2016 election she was re-elected as the MSP for Clydesdale with an increased majority.
On 18 May 2016 she was moved to the post of Minister for Public Health and Sport in a reshuffle;
as part of her role as Public Health Minister she oversaw a 22% cut in government funding to drug and alcohol rehabilitation programmes from £69.2 million to £53.8 million. At the time, Scottish Drugs Forum Chief Executive David Liddell said he was concerned that the cuts had "the potential to increase harm and drug-related deaths."
That year 867 Scots lost their lives to drugs – an increase of 23% on the previous year's figures – and the SNP insisted it was part of a trend seen across much Europe. In December 2020 figures were released revealing that 1,264 people in Scotland had died from drug overdoses in 2019 – the highest number in Europe per head and more than double the number in 2014. Sturgeon sacked Campbell's successor as Public Health Minister
Joe FitzPatrick
Joseph Martin FitzPatrick (born 1 April 1967) is a Scottish politician who is a member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), and has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Dundee City West since the 2007. He is Convener of the Sc ...
and in April 2021 said of the crisis: "I think we
he Scottish Governmenttook our eye off the ball."
She was made
Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government
The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government, commonly referred to as the Social Justice Secretary, is a position in the Scottish Government Cabinet. The Cabinet Secretary has overall responsibility for local governmen ...
on 26 June 2018. Following her elevation to the cabinet ''The Times'' reported that her promotion, "has bemused many. It was on her watch that the named person legislation, which has caused the SNP so much trouble, was introduced, while her record on drugs policy is regarded by many inside the party as deplorable."
In February 2020 Campbell wrote to MSPs voicing concerns about a Labour party proposal to provide women and trans men in Scotland with free sanitary products. Campbell said the Scottish Government had “grave concerns” over the plans' “deliverability” and cost. She also said she was worried about "people outside Scotland seeking access to the products".
On 8 March 2020, she announced that she would step down at the next election to spend more time with her family.
Football
After leaving politics, Campbell was appointed as chief executive of
Scottish Women's Football
Scottish Women's Football (SWF), formerly known as the Scottish Women’s Football Association (SWFA) between 1972 and 2001, is the governing body for women's association football in Scotland. It is an affiliated national association of the Scotti ...
, the governing body of women's football in Scotland, in August 2021. On her first day in the role, she had to deal with the withdrawal of
Forfar Farmington F.C.
Forfar Farmington Football Club are a Scottish FA Quality Mark Community Football Club who are based at Station Park in Forfar, Angus. They were members of the top division Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL) from 2005 until withdrawing from t ...
from the
Scottish Women's Premier League
The Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL) is the highest level of league competition in women's football in Scotland. Its two divisions are SWPL 1 and SWPL 2. The league was formed when the Premier Division of the Scottish Women's Football League ...
.
Personal life
Campbell married Graham Fraser White in Collace Kirk, Perthshire, on 15 August 2009.
See also
*
Government of the 3rd Scottish Parliament
The first Salmond government, which was sworn in on 17 May 2007 at the start of the 3rd Scottish Parliament, was an SNP minority government.
Having won the largest number of seats in the general election (47 of 129) the SNP sought to form a coal ...
*
Government of the 4th Scottish Parliament
This is a list of all Scottish Parliaments and Governments (called the ''Scottish Executive'' from 1999 until 2008) the time of the introduction of devolved government for Scotland in 1999.
List
See also
*List of First Ministers of Scotl ...
References
External links
*
Personal websiteDaily Record Coverage of Play it AgainScotsman Coverage of Play it Again
{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Aileen
1980 births
Living people
People from Perthshire
People educated at Perth Academy
Alumni of the University of Glasgow
Scottish National Party MSPs
Members of the Scottish Parliament 2007–2011
Members of the Scottish Parliament 2011–2016
Members of the Scottish Parliament 2016–2021
Ministers of the Scottish Government
Women members of the Scottish Government
Women association football executives