33 Facts About Eleanor Laing

Eleanor Laing served in the shadow cabinets of Michael Howard and David Cameron.

From 2013 to 2024, Laing was a Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons and was the first female Chairman of Ways and Means from 2020 to 2024.

Eleanor Laing had one of the longest tenures in the speaker's chair.

Eleanor Laing became a member of the House of Lords in 2024.

Eleanor Laing stood down from the House of Commons at the 2024 general election and was appointed to the House of Lords.

Eleanor Laing Pritchard was born on 1 February 1958 in Paisley, Renfrewshire, and raised in the nearby village of Elderslie, where her father was a councillor.

Eleanor Laing was privately educated at St Columba's School, an independent school.

Eleanor Laing graduated from Edinburgh University with Master of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees.

Eleanor Laing was the first female President of the Edinburgh University Students' Association.

Eleanor Laing worked as a solicitor in Edinburgh and the City of London.

Once in Parliament, Eleanor Laing signed up to the Eurosceptic wing of the party, first supporting Michael Howard then William Hague for the Conservative leadership.

Labour MPs paid tribute for Eleanor Laing for speaking against the majority view of the then Parliamentary Conservative Party, of whom 110 of their 165 MPs voted against the measure.

Eleanor Laing has been an opponent of devolution, and criticised the Blair government on many of the details of the transfer of power.

Eleanor Laing voted against the repeal of Section 28 in 2003.

Eleanor Laing first entered the shadow cabinet in 2004 as Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities under the leadership of Michael Howard, after previously serving as Shadow Minister of Children from June to November 2003.

Whilst continuing in this role, Eleanor Laing became Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, serving briefly from May 2005, shortly after the 2005 general election, to December 2005 when David Cameron came to power as Leader of the Opposition.

Eleanor Laing continued as Shadow Women and Equalities Minister until a July 2007 reshuffle, when she became Shadow Minister for Justice, a role she remained in until the 2010 general election.

In 2012, Eleanor Laing voted against the third reading of the proposed House of Lords Reform Bill 2012, and opposed a referendum on Scottish independence.

Eleanor Laing spoke in favour of a referendum on the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union, and paid tribute to Margaret Thatcher and her legacy during a Commons session dedicated to tributes to the late former Prime Minister, which took place shortly after her death.

Eleanor Laing criticised the manner in which the Marriage Act 2013 was introduced by arguing "social change should come about by evolution, not by diktat from the top of government" and subsequently abstained from voting on it.

Eleanor Laing was acquitted of those charges, but resigned from his position in the Chair on 10 September 2013.

In January 2016, Eleanor Laing criticised Tulip Siddiq, who was seven months pregnant at the time, for breaking the customs of the House by leaving a debate shortly after speaking.

Eleanor Laing stood in the 2019 Speaker election, to replace John Bercow, campaigning on restoring trust to the House of Commons.

Eleanor Laing was critical of Bercow, and called his impartiality into question, pledging to do things differently and bring kindness to the Speaker's chair.

Eleanor Laing lost to Lindsay Hoyle, but declared her intention to stand to replace him as Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons.

Eleanor Laing was elected by her fellow MPs, and became the first woman to be the Chairman of Ways and Means.

Eleanor Laing took a leave of absence from December 2022 after undergoing surgery, and returned to the chair during the week of 6 March 2023.

Eleanor Laing's leave of absence was extended to 31 March 2024, but Laing has continued in her duties in the Chair.

In November 2023, the police investigation into the "drinks party" attended by Eleanor Laing was closed, with the "threshold for fines not being met".

Eleanor Laing was created Baroness Laing of Elderslie, of Epping Forest in the County of Essex, on 22 August 2024.

Eleanor Laing's constituency is Epping Forest, which neighbours London and less than an hour's journey by tube.

Eleanor Laing is a supporter of Rangers FC, and is a vice-chairman of the Westminster Parliamentary Rangers Supporters' Club.

Eleanor Laing was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours List.