Annie Wells (politician)
Carol Ann "Annie" Wells (born 24 February 1972) is a Scottish Conservative politician who served as Deputy Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party to Jackson Carlaw in 2020. She has served as Member of Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Glasgow region since 2016.
Annie Wells | |
|---|---|
 Wells in 2016 | |
| Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government | |
| Assumed office 11 August 2020 | |
| Leader | Douglas Ross |
| Preceded by | Graham Simpson |
| Deputy Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party | |
| In office 14 February 2020 – 12 August 2020 | |
| Leader | Jackson Carlaw |
| Preceded by | Jackson Carlaw |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform | |
| In office 14 February 2020 – 11 August 2020 | |
| Leader | Jackson Carlaw |
| Preceded by | Donald Cameron |
| Succeeded by | Liz Smith |
| Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow (1 of 7 Regional MSPs) | |
| Assumed office 5 May 2016 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Carol Ann Wells 24 February 1972 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Political party | Scottish Conservatives |
| Occupation | Food retail manager |
| Website | www |
The Deputy Leadership position was abolished shortly after Douglas Ross was appointed Scottish Conservative Leader.
Early life and career
Hailing from Springburn, Wells worked as a retail manager for Marks & Spencer in various locations throughout Glasgow for the 12 years leading up to her election.[1][2]
Political career
Wells became involved in politics during the 2014 Scottish Independence referendum by joining the Better Together campaign and stood as the Scottish Conservative candidate in Glasgow North East in the 2015 general election, finishing third with 4.7% of the vote.[3] She also unsuccessfully contested the Glasgow Provan constituency at the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, finishing third with 8.6% of the vote, but was elected via the Glasgow regional list.[4][5]
Shortly after her election, Wells was made Scottish Conservative Spokesperson for Welfare Reform and Equalities.[6] She sits on the Equal Opportunities Committee of the Scottish Parliament.[7]
In late 2018, Wells was banned from Holyrood for leaking an embargoed committee report to the press. After a complaint was made that the MSP had "sought political advantage" by speaking out about prisoner voting before a report had been published, the parliament's standards committee unanimously ruled that Wells had breached the code of conduct for MSPs.[8]
Wells served as Deputy Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party, alongside Liam Kerr, under Jackson Carlaw. However, they both were dismissed and the post was abolished when Douglas Ross became leader in August 2020.[9]
References
- Rodger, Hannah (27 August 2015). "Conservatives are giving a voice to women". The Herald. Glasgow. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
- "Annie Wells MSP - MCNEILL & STONE". Mcneillandstone.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
- "Glasgow North East parliamentary constituency - Election 2015 - BBC News". Bbc.co.uk. 1 January 1970. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
- Brooks, Libby (2 May 2016). "Scottish elections: new faces of Holyrood 2016". The Guardian.
- "Election 2016: Glasgow. Scottish Parliament region". BBC News. 6 May 2016.
- "Scottish Conservative appointments for new parliamentary term". Scottish Conservative Party. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
- "Membership". Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- "Tory MSP Annie Wells faces week-long Holyrood ban over report leak". BBC. 1 November 2018.
- Sanderson, Daniel (11 August 2020). "Ruth Davidson's return to frontline politics confirmed as Douglas Ross announces first reshuffle". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- Allegretti, Aubrey (22 May 2016). "How Scotland Became The World Leader on Lesbian, Gay And Bisexual Representation". Huffington Post.
