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Kirsty McNeill

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Kirsty McNeill
MP
Official portrait, 2026
Minister of State for International Development
Incumbent
Assumed office
21 July 2026
Prime MinisterAndy Burnham
Preceded byThe Baroness Chapman of Darlington
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
In office
9 July 2024 – 20 July 2026
Prime MinisterKeir Starmer
Preceded byJohn Lamont
Succeeded byMelanie Ward
Member of Parliament
for Midlothian
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 July 2024
Preceded byOwen Thompson
Majority8,167 (18.5%)
Personal details
PartyLabour and Co-operative
EducationBalliol College, University of Oxford
Websitekirstymcneill.com

Kirsty McNeill is a Scottish Labour politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Midlothian since 2024. She has served as Minister of State for International Development since July 2026.[1]

Early life and career

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McNeill served as president of the Oxford University Student Union in 2001, during which time she successfully campaigned to prevent holocaust denier David Irving from speaking at a debate.[2]

She was previously an advisor to Gordon Brown when he was Prime Minister.[3] Prior to being elected, McNeill was executive director of policy, advocacy and campaigns at Save the Children.

Political career

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In the 2005 general election, McNeill stood for Labour in the North Southwark and Bermondsey constituency, losing to the Liberal Democrat candidate, Simon Hughes.[4]

In the 2024 general election, McNeill was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Midlothian with 21,480 votes (48.6%) and a majority of 8,167 over the second place SNP candidate.[5] On 9 July 2024, she was appointed as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Scotland Office.[6][7][8] On 21 July 2026, she was appointed Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.[9]

She is a member of the Fabian Society.[10]

Personal life

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McNeill is LGBT+.[11]

References

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  1. ↑ "Minister of State - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  2. ↑ Dickinson, Jim (1 July 2024). "The former student leaders entering Parliament". Wonkhe. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  3. ↑ Quinn, Andrew (5 March 2024). "Labour candidate Kirsty McNeill was 'raised by the SNP' but plans to win Midlothian for Keir Starmer". Daily Record. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  4. ↑ "Cockenzie resident selected as Labour's candidate for Midlothian at next election". East Lothian Courier. 17 February 2023.
  5. ↑ "Election 2024 > Midlothian results". BBC News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  6. ↑ "Kirsty McNeill appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State". GOV.UK. Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland. 9 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  7. ↑ "Kirsty McNeill MP". GOV.UK. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  8. ↑ "Ministerial Appointments: July 2024". GOV.UK. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  9. ↑ "Ministerial Appointments: July 2026". GOV.UK. 21 July 2026. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  10. ↑ "Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards". UK Government. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  11. ↑ https://www.lgbtlabour.org.uk/patrons
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