Adam Ingram (Labour politician)
Encyclopedia
Adam Paterson Ingram is a British
Labour Party
politician, who was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
from 1987
to 2010.
, Glasgow a year below Archy Kirkwood, Baron Kirkwood of Kirkhope
and is a graduate of the Open University
. He became a trade union official with NALGO
from 1977 to 1987 after several years working as a computer programmer/analyst from 1967 to 1977. A Justice of the Peace and former chairman of East Kilbride Constituency Labour Party, Ingram was East Kilbride District Councillor from 1980 to 1987 and leader of the District Council from 1984 to 1987.
in 1983
, but entered the Commons following the 1987 election
and during this parliamentary term acted as Parliamentary Private Secretary
to Neil Kinnock
. After Labour's landslide election victory in 1997 he was appointed Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office
with responsibilities including Security.
In 2001 he became Armed Forces Minister at the Ministry of Defence
, a position he held until Gordon Brown
became Prime Minister in 2007. He was the longest serving Defence Minister in British history and is a member of the Privy Council
.
On 27 March 2009, Ingram announced that he would stand down at the next general election.
and his publisher for alleged defamation regarding remarks Galloway made in his autobiography about Ingram's youthful membership of the Orange Order. Ingram lost the case and was ordered to pay costs.
In 2009 Ingram declared outside earnings of £170,000, the largest of any Scottish MP. In the same year it was shown that letters in the local press defending these earnings were forged.
In June 2010 at the public inquiry into the beating to death of Baha Mousa in custody he conceded that he had misled MPs when he was Armed Forces Minister over British troops' hooding of Iraqi prisoners. He had assured the then head of the Parliamentary joint committee on human rights, Jean Corston in June 2004, that prisoners were only hooded during transportation but had received documents in September 2003 that showed that Mousa had been hooded, on the advice of interrogation experts for nearly 24 of the 36 hours that he spent in custody.
On the 10 December 2010 he was cleared of any wrong doing by the Standards and Privileges Committee after the 2010 Cash for Influence Scandal
, but criticised for bad judgement.
as a loyal and supportive colleague to Mo Mowlam
in the Channel 4
TV drama Mo
(January 2010).
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician, who was the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow (UK Parliament constituency)
East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which was first used in the general election of 2005...
from 1987
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
to 2010.
Early life
He attended Cranhill Senior Secondary School in CranhillCranhill
Cranhill is a housing estate in the east end of Glasgow.-History:Like many similar publicly-funded 'schemes', it was built in the early 1950s on the outskirts of the city to alleviate the post-war housing shortage...
, Glasgow a year below Archy Kirkwood, Baron Kirkwood of Kirkhope
Archy Kirkwood, Baron Kirkwood of Kirkhope
Sir Archibald Johnstone Kirkwood, Baron Kirkwood of Kirkhope, PC is a politician in the United Kingdom.-Education:Lord Kirkwood was educated at Cranhill School in Cranhill, Glasgow and studied Pharmacy at Heriot-Watt University, gaining a BSc in 1971...
and is a graduate of the Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
. He became a trade union official with NALGO
National Association of Local Government Officers
The National and Local Government Officers Association was a British trade union representing mostly local government "white collar" workers. It was formed in 1905 as the National Association of Local Government Officers, and changed its full name in 1952 while retaining its widely-used acronym,...
from 1977 to 1987 after several years working as a computer programmer/analyst from 1967 to 1977. A Justice of the Peace and former chairman of East Kilbride Constituency Labour Party, Ingram was East Kilbride District Councillor from 1980 to 1987 and leader of the District Council from 1984 to 1987.
Parliamentary career
Ingram was the Labour candidate for Strathkelvin and BearsdenStrathkelvin and Bearsden (UK Parliament constituency)
Strathkelvin and Bearsden was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983...
in 1983
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
, but entered the Commons following the 1987 election
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
and during this parliamentary term acted as Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to Neil Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
. After Labour's landslide election victory in 1997 he was appointed Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office
Northern Ireland Office
The Northern Ireland Office is a United Kingdom government department responsible for Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and is based in Northern Ireland at Stormont House.-Role:...
with responsibilities including Security.
In 2001 he became Armed Forces Minister at the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
, a position he held until Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
became Prime Minister in 2007. He was the longest serving Defence Minister in British history and is a member of the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
.
On 27 March 2009, Ingram announced that he would stand down at the next general election.
Controversies
Ingram sued George GallowayGeorge Galloway
George Galloway is a British politician, author, journalist and broadcaster who was a Member of Parliament from 1987 to 2010. He was formerly an MP for the Labour Party, first for Glasgow Hillhead and later for Glasgow Kelvin, before his expulsion from the party in October 2003, the same year...
and his publisher for alleged defamation regarding remarks Galloway made in his autobiography about Ingram's youthful membership of the Orange Order. Ingram lost the case and was ordered to pay costs.
In 2009 Ingram declared outside earnings of £170,000, the largest of any Scottish MP. In the same year it was shown that letters in the local press defending these earnings were forged.
In June 2010 at the public inquiry into the beating to death of Baha Mousa in custody he conceded that he had misled MPs when he was Armed Forces Minister over British troops' hooding of Iraqi prisoners. He had assured the then head of the Parliamentary joint committee on human rights, Jean Corston in June 2004, that prisoners were only hooded during transportation but had received documents in September 2003 that showed that Mousa had been hooded, on the advice of interrogation experts for nearly 24 of the 36 hours that he spent in custody.
On the 10 December 2010 he was cleared of any wrong doing by the Standards and Privileges Committee after the 2010 Cash for Influence Scandal
2010 cash for influence scandal
The 2010 cash for influence scandal is a political scandal in the United Kingdom. In March 2010, Dispatches, a current affairs documentary series on Channel 4 conducted a journalistic sting operation...
, but criticised for bad judgement.
In popular culture
Ingram was warmly depicted by Gary LewisGary Lewis (actor)
Gary Lewis is a Scottish actor. He has had parts in Billy Elliot, Gangs of New York, Eragon and Three and Out, as well as a major role in the television docudrama, Supervolcano.-Early life:...
as a loyal and supportive colleague to Mo Mowlam
Mo Mowlam
Marjorie "Mo" Mowlam was a British Labour Party politician. She was the Member of Parliament for Redcar from 1987 to 2001 and served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.Mowlam's time as Northern...
in the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
TV drama Mo
Mo (film)
Mo is a 2010 TV film about the later life and career of the British Labour Party politician Mo Mowlam, written by Neil McKay and directed by Philip Martin.-Synopsis:...
(January 2010).