{{short description|British politician (born 1958)}} {{other people}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}} {{Use British English|date=October 2019}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = [[The Right Honourable]] | name = The Baroness Curran | image = Official portrait of Baroness Curran crop 2, 2025.jpg | caption = Official portrait, 2025 | office = [[Minister of State for Energy (UK)|Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero]] | term_start = 22 May 2025 | term_end = 6 June 2025 | prime_minister = [[Keir Starmer]] | predecessor = [[Philip Hunt, Baron Hunt of Kings Heath|The Lord Hunt of Kings Heath]] | successor = [[Alan Whitehead|The Lord Whitehead]] | office1 = [[Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland]] | leader1 = [[Ed Miliband]] | term_start1 = 7 October 2011 | term_end1 = 11 May 2015 | predecessor1 = [[Ann McKechin]] | successor1 = [[Ian Murray (Scottish politician)|Ian Murray]] | office2 = [[Department for Work and Pensions|Shadow Minister for Disabled People]] | leader2 = [[Ed Miliband]] | term_start2 = 7 October 2010 | term_end2 = 8 October 2011 | predecessor2 = [[Mark Harper]] | successor2 = [[Anne McGuire]] | office3 = [[Minister for Parliamentary Business]] | first_minister3 = [[Jack McConnell]] | term_start3 = 4 October 2004 | term_end3 = 17 May 2007 | predecessor3 = [[Patricia Ferguson]] | successor3 = [[Bruce Crawford]] (2011) | office4 = [[Minister for Housing and Welfare|Minister for Communities]]<ref>Social Justice (2002–2003)</ref> | first_minister4 = [[Jack McConnell]] | term_start4 = 9 May 2002 | term_end4 = 4 October 2004 | predecessor4 = [[Iain Gray]] | successor4 = [[Malcolm Chisholm]] | parliament6 = UK | constituency_MP6 = Glasgow East | term_start6 = 6 May 2010 | term_end6 = 30 March 2015 | predecessor6 = [[John Mason (Scottish politician)|John Mason]] | successor6 = [[Natalie McGarry]] | parliament7 = Scottish | constituency_MP7 = Glasgow Baillieston | term_start7 = 6 May 1999 | term_end7 = 22 March 2011 | predecessor7 = ''Constituency established'' | successor7 = ''Constituency abolished'' | office5 = [[Member of the House of Lords]] | status5 = [[Lord Temporal]] | term_label5 = [[Life peer]]age | term_start5 = 15 January 2025 | term_end5 = | birth_name = Margaret Patricia Curran | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1958|11|24}} | birth_place = [[Glasgow]], Scotland | death_date = | death_place = | party = [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] | spouse = Rab Murray | children = 2, including [[Chris Murray (politician)|Chris]] | alma_mater = [[University of Glasgow]] }}
'''Margaret Patricia Curran, Baroness Curran''' (born 24 November 1958), is a [[Scottish Labour]] Party politician. She served in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] as the [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Glasgow East]] from 2010 and 2015, and was [[Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland]] from 2011 until 2015.
Curran was previously the [[member of the Scottish Parliament]] (MSP) for [[Glasgow Baillieston (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Glasgow Baillieston]] from 1999 to 2011, and held a number of posts within the [[Scottish Executive]], including as [[Minister for Parliamentary Business]], [[Minister for Housing (Scotland)|Minister for Social Justice]], and [[Minister for Communities]]. She also served as [[Minister of State (United Kingdom)|Minister of State]] in the [[Department for Energy Security and Net Zero]] from May to June 2025.
==Early life and education== Curran was born in [[Glasgow]], the daughter of Irish parents James Curran and Rose McConnellogue.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://labourlist.org/2013/04/margaret-curran-wearing-her-heart-on-her-sleeve/|title=Margaret Curran – wearing her heart on her sleeve|date=22 April 2013|website=LabourList}}</ref><ref name="whoswho">{{cite web |title=Curran, Margaret Patricia, (born 24 Nov. 1958) |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U12593 |website=WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO |year=2007 |access-date=31 March 2021 |doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u12593}}</ref> She was educated at Our Lady and St Francis School in Glasgow.
Curran attended the [[University of Glasgow]], where she graduated with an [[Master of Arts (Scotland)|MA]] degree in History and Economic History in 1981. She first became politically active in the university's Labour Club in the late 1970s, where she was associated with future [[Scottish Labour leader]] [[Johann Lamont]] and future Labour [[Member of the Scottish Parliament|MSP]] [[Sarah Boyack]]. She held several posts in Labour student politics, including secretary and vice-chair of Glasgow University Labour Club, and chair and secretary of the [[Scottish Organisation of Labour Students]]. In 1977, she was involved in the unsuccessful campaign to elect [[Hortensia Allende]], the former [[First Lady of Chile]], as [[Rector of the University of Glasgow]].
She was a community worker, and then a lecturer in community education at the [[University of Strathclyde]], a subject she holds a Certificate in.<ref name="whoswho" /> Curran was [[Mohammad Sarwar (politician)|Mohammad Sarwar]]'s election agent at [[Glasgow Govan (UK Parliament constituency)|Glasgow Govan]] for the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 general election]]. In 2021, Sarwar's son [[Anas Sarwar|Anas]] became Leader of the Scottish Labour Party.
==Member of the Scottish Parliament== In 1999 Curran was elected to the new [[Scottish Parliament]], and was promoted to a junior minister when [[Henry McLeish]] became [[First Minister of Scotland|First Minister]] and later became a member of the [[Scottish Executive]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2003/07/28/41550/Curran+leads+attack+on+antisocial+behaviour.html|title=Curran leads attack on antisocial behaviour|publisher=Mark Allen Group|work=Community Care}}{{dead link|date=April 2019}}</ref> She served as convenor of the Social Inclusion committee, then was promoted to Deputy Minister for Social Justice. She then rose to become minister in that portfolio, which later changed to Minister for Communities, introducing the Homelessness (Scotland) Bill<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/bills/billsnotInProgress/index.htm#63|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225085402/http://scottish.parliament.uk/business/bills/billsnotInProgress/index.htm|url-status=dead|title=Homelessness etc. (Scotland) Bill|archivedate=25 December 2010}}</ref> in September 2002. She held the position of [[Minister for Parliamentary Business]] from 2004 until 2007.
She was re-elected comfortably in 2003 and again in 2007. Given Scottish Labour's losses in that later election, she was widely viewed as a popular potential successor to [[Jack McConnell]] as its leader, but decided not to stand against [[Wendy Alexander]]. Curran pledged her support to [[Iain Gray]] who was standing against [[Cathy Jamieson]] and [[Andy Kerr (Scottish politician)|Andy Kerr]]. Iain Gray was voted Scottish Labour Party Leader and appointed Curran to manage the party's 2011 election manifesto.<ref name="newstatesman.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2011/10/labour-curran-scotland|title=Margaret Curran will struggle against the SNP|work=New Statesman|date=7 October 2011|first=James |last=Maxwell}}</ref> She stood down as MSP for Glasgow Baillieston at the 2011 Scottish election.
===2008 Glasgow East by-election=== {{main|2008 Glasgow East by-election}}
On 30 June 2008, [[David Marshall (British politician)|David Marshall]], [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|MP]] for [[Glasgow East]], resigned from the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] on grounds of ill health, triggering a [[2008 Glasgow East by-election|by-election]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/scotland_politics/7481746.stm|title=By-election looms after MP quits|work=BBC News|date=30 June 2008|access-date=30 June 2008}}</ref> The Labour candidate for the by-election was to have been announced on 4 July,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/scotland_politics/7488404.stm|title=Campaigning starts in by-election |work=BBC News|date=4 July 2008|access-date=4 July 2008}}</ref> though the announcement was postponed when the likely choice, local councillor George Ryan, chose to withdraw from the nomination process.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/scotland_politics/7491181.stm|title=Labour man quits by-election race|date=5 July 2008|work=BBC News|access-date=5 July 2008}}</ref> On 5 July, Curran placed herself forward for nomination on the Labour Party's shortlist and was confirmed as their candidate on 7 July.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/7491574.stm|title=Labour MSP joins by-election race|publisher=BBC Scotland|date=5 July 2008|access-date=5 July 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/7493978.stm|title=Curran takes on by-election fight|work=BBC News|date=7 July 2008|access-date=7 July 2008}}</ref> The by-election took place on 24 July 2008 and Curran was defeated by [[John Mason (Scottish politician)|John Mason]] of the [[Scottish National Party]] by 365 votes.<ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7522153.stm SNP stuns Labour in Glasgow East], BBC News, 25 July 2008</ref> The swing from Labour was 22.54%.
==Member of Parliament== At the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 general election]], Curran regained [[Glasgow East]] for Labour from the Scottish National Party. After her electoral victory was announced, she walked out with the other candidates from the platform, refusing to make a speech whilst sharing the platform with the [[British National Party]] candidate. From 2010 to 2011, she was [[Department for Work and Pensions|Shadow Minister for Disabled People]].<ref>{{cite news | last = Staff writer | title = Other shadow work and pensions ministers | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11494915 | work = [[BBC News]] | date = 12 October 2010 | access-date = 15 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last = Dailyrecord.co.uk | title = Ex-MSP Margaret Curran 'privileged' to have joined Labour's shadow cabinet | url = https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/ex-msp-margaret-curran-privileged-to-have-joined-1083739 | work = [[Daily Record (Scotland)|Daily Record]] | location = Scotland | date = 7 October 2011 | access-date = 15 March 2018}}</ref>
On 7 October 2011, in a [[Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (United Kingdom)|Shadow Cabinet]] [[reshuffle]], Labour Party leader [[Ed Miliband]] sacked [[Ann McKechin]] and appointed Curran as her replacement for [[Shadow Cabinet (UK)|Shadow]] [[Secretary of State for Scotland]].<ref name="newstatesman.com"/> [[Willie Bain]], then-MP for [[Glasgow North East]], also became Curran's new deputy as Shadow [[Scotland Office]] [[Under-Secretary of State for Scotland|Minister]], replacing [[Tom Greatrex]].<ref>{{cite news| title = Cabinet reshuffle: Miliband promotes Curran to Scotland job | url = http://news.scotsman.com/politics/Cabinet-reshuffle-Miliband-promotes-Curran.6849740.jp}}</ref>
At the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 general election]], she lost her seat to [[Natalie McGarry]] of the [[Scottish National Party]]. This was a landslide defeat for Scottish Labour; who lost forty of the forty-one seats they were defending, and were reduced to a [[Ian Murray (Scottish politician)|single MP at Westminster]], with the SNP elected in 56 of Scotland's 59 seats. With many veteran Labour politicians losing their seats, including: then-Shadow Foreign Secretary [[Douglas Alexander]] and then-Scottish Labour Party Leader, [[Jim Murphy]]. Presenting speeches following their constituency's declaration, Curran declined to speak following the announcement of her own defeat.
===Views on Alex Salmond=== Curran was known to have a particularly difficult relationship with [[Scottish National Party|SNP]] leader [[Alex Salmond]]. In 2012, Curran accused Salmond and his government of having a "culture of casual dishonesty",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scotland/9665242/Margaret-Curran-accuses-Alex-Salmond-of-casual-dishonesty.html|title=Margaret Curran accuses Alex Salmond of 'casual dishonesty'|last=Johnson|first=Simon|date=9 November 2012|work=The Daily Telegraph}}</ref> and suggested his "blokeish attitude" made him a liability among women in Scotland during the [[Scottish independence referendum]] campaign.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/scottish-independence-women-say-no-blokeish-first-minister-alex-salmond-9659498.html|title=Scotland: Women say No to 'blokeish' First Minister Alex Salmond|first=Mark|last=Leftly|date=10 August 2014|website=The Independent}}</ref> In November 2011, she told [[Holyrood (magazine)|''Holyrood'' magazine]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.holyrood.com/articles/2011/11/28/maggie-maggie-maggie/|title=Maggie, Maggie, Maggie|last=Rhodes|first=Mandy|date=28 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003003051/http://www.holyrood.com/articles/2011/11/28/maggie-maggie-maggie/|archive-date=3 October 2012|work=[[Holyrood (magazine)|Holyrood]]|access-date=21 October 2021}}</ref> that were Salmond to be killed by being run over by a bus, she would have no interest in finding out who the driver was.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://newsnet.scot/archive/if-salmond-run-down-by-bus-i-wouldnt-ask-who-did-it-says-labour-mp/|title='If Salmond run down by bus – I wouldn't ask who did it' says Labour MP|date=28 November 2011}}</ref> In April 2014, she dismissed Salmond's appeal to female voters, saying "Women will see through his cynical attempts to win them over" and described a speech he made as "drivel".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.itv.com/news/update/2014-04-12/women-will-see-through-alex-salmonds-speech/|title='Women will see through Alex Salmond's speech'|date=12 April 2014|website=ITV News}}</ref> Speaking about a work programme whilst in [[Dundee]], Curran stated "Every time I'm in Dundee people have raised their disappointment with the former [[First Minister of Scotland|First Minister]] over his promise. Renewable energy is a sector Dundee badly needs and the city has been let down badly by his retreat from promise. I think Alex Salmond should apologise to the people of Dundee". These comments related to the fact that only 15% of Work Programme participants had proceeded to find a job.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/dundee/126287/labour-mp-calls-on-alex-salmond-to-apologise-to-dundee/|title=Labour MP calls on Alex Salmond to apologise to Dundee|last=Dinnie|first=Steven|date=16 January 2015|work=The Courier}}</ref>
==House of Lords== Curran was nominated for a [[life peer]]age by Prime Minister [[Keir Starmer]] in late 2024.<ref>{{cite press release |date=20 December 2024 |title=Political Peerages December 2024 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/political-peerages-december-2024 |website=[[GOV.UK]] |publisher=[[Prime Minister's Office (United Kingdom)|Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street]] |access-date=20 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Pollock |first=Laura |date=20 December 2024 |title=See the 38 new lifetime peers announced by the UK Government |url=https://www.thenational.scot/news/24808667.see-new-lifetime-peers-announced-uk-government/ |work=[[The National (Scotland)|The National]] |access-date=20 December 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241220145456/https://www.thenational.scot/news/24808667.see-new-lifetime-peers-announced-uk-government/ |archive-date=20 December 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> She was created ''Baroness Curran, of Townhead in the City of Glasgow'', on 15 January 2025,<ref>{{London Gazette |date=21 January 2025 |issue=64636 |page=914}}</ref> and was [[Introduction (House of Lords)|introduced to the House of Lords]] on 16 January.<ref>{{cite Hansard |title=Introduction: Baroness Curran |url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2025-01-16/debates/8AA38E8A-EB98-4A03-8755-85557CCC25E9/IntroductionBaronessCurran |date=16 January 2025 |jurisdiction=Parliament of the United Kingdom |house=House of Lords |volume=842 |column=1255}}</ref>
===Ministerial Role=== In May 2025, Curran was appointed Minister of State in the [[Department for Energy Security and Net Zero]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/baroness-curran|title=Baroness Curran|website=GOV.UK|accessdate=8 June 2025}}</ref> She was responsible for nuclear energy, planning decisions, and all parliamentary business in the House of Lords. She left on 6 June, citing health reasons.<ref>{{cite web |date=6 June 2025 |title=Energy minister leaves Government after two weeks for health reasons |url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/national/25221472.energy-minister-leaves-government-two-weeks-health-reasons/ |access-date=6 June 2025 |website=The Northern Echo }}</ref>
==Personal life== She and her husband Robert "Rab" Murray live in Glasgow with their two sons. Curran listed her recreations in ''[[Who's Who (UK)|Who's Who]]'' as "reading, theatre, [[American politics]]" and "spending time with my sons".<ref name="whoswho" />
Her son [[Chris Murray (politician)|Chris Murray]] has been the Labour MP for [[Edinburgh East and Musselburgh (UK Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh East and Musselburgh]] since the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Swanson |first=Ian |date=5 July 2024 |title=General election 2024: Labour wins Edinburgh East and Musselburgh from SNP |url=https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/general-election-2024-labour-wins-edinburgh-east-and-musselburgh-from-snp-4692059 |access-date=5 July 2024 |work=Edinburgh Evening News}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{SP-MSP}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20081004145914/http://www.scottishlabour.org.uk/glasgow_baillieston Margaret Curran MSP] Scottish Labour website *{{UK MP links | parliament = margaret-curran/3982 | guardian = 11227/margaret-curran | publicwhip = Margaret_Curran | theywork = margaret_curran | record = Margaret-Curran/Glasgow-East/1311 | bbc = 32611.stm | journalisted = margaret-curran }}
{{s-start}} {{s-par|sct}} {{s-new|Parliament|reason=[[Scotland Act 1998]]}} {{s-ttl | title = [[Member of the Scottish Parliament]] for {{nowrap|[[Glasgow Baillieston (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Glasgow Baillieston]]}} | years = [[1999 Scottish Parliament election|1999]]–[[2011 Scottish Parliament election|2011]] }} {{s-non|reason=Constituency abolished}} {{s-break}} {{s-par|uk}} {{s-bef|before=[[John Mason (Scottish politician)|John Mason]]}} {{s-ttl | title = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for {{nowrap|[[Glasgow East]]}} | years = [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010]]–[[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015]] }} {{s-aft|after=[[Natalie McGarry]]}} {{s-break}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=[[Iain Gray]]}} {{s-ttl | title = [[Minister for Housing and Welfare|Minister for Social Justice]] | years = 2002–2003 }} {{s-non|reason=Office abolished}} {{s-break}} {{s-new|office}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Minister for Housing and Welfare|Minister for Communities]]|years=2003–2004}} {{s-aft|after=[[Malcolm Chisholm]]}} {{s-break}} {{s-bef|before=[[Patricia Ferguson]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Minister for Parliamentary Business]]|years=2004–2007}} {{s-aft|after=[[Bruce Crawford]]}} {{s-break}} {{s-bef|before=[[Ann McKechin]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland]]|years=2011–2015}} {{s-aft|after=[[Ian Murray (British politician)|Ian Murray]]}} {{s-end}}
{{Miliband Shadow Cabinet}}{{One Nation Labour}}{{Former Labour MSPs|state=collapsed}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curran, Margaret}} [[Category:1958 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:20th-century Scottish women politicians]] [[Category:Academics of the University of Strathclyde]] [[Category:Alumni of the University of Glasgow]] [[Category:Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies]] [[Category:Labour MSPs]] [[Category:Labour Party (UK) life peers]] [[Category:Life peeresses created by Charles III]] [[Category:Life peers created by Charles III]] [[Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Glasgow constituencies]] [[Category:Members of the Scottish Parliament 1999–2003]] [[Category:Members of the Scottish Parliament 2003–2007]] [[Category:Members of the Scottish Parliament 2007–2011]] [[Category:Members of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow constituencies]] [[Category:Ministers of the Scottish Government]] [[Category:Nobility from Glasgow]] [[Category:One Nation Labour]] [[Category:People from Baillieston]] [[Category:Politicians from Glasgow]] [[Category:Scottish Labour MPs]] [[Category:Scottish people of Irish descent]] [[Category:UK MPs 2010–2015]] [[Category:Women members of the Scottish Government]] [[Category:UK MPs who were granted peerages]]