They Serve Us in London: Ayrshire's MPs (1) Lillian Jones

It was a sad blow for fans of the Ayrshire dialect when Alan Brown was booted out of the Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency by voters in the Labour landslide of 2024.

In his place, however, we got an openly LGBT+ MP to go with Alan Gemmel, her openly gay Labour colleague in Ayrshire Central. Yes, Ayrshire's non-heterosexual community is more than well represented at Westminster!

Before entering national politics, Jones worked as an NHS worker (in a clinical support role) for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde for many years (around 2007–2024). Yes, another high-powered business entrepreneur who will turbo-charge our flagging economy, LOL!

Jones served as a local councillor for the Kilmarnock West and Crosshouse ward on East Ayrshire Council from May 2012 until resigning in September 2024 (after her election as MP). Back in 2012, there were complaints in the East Ayrshire Labour Party about her being selected as a candidate for councillor despite being an "outsider." 

She serves on two select committees at Westminster: Scottish Affairs Committee (since October 2024) and the Finance Committee (since November 2024). Her career experience spending other people's money make her something of a financial wizard. 

Generally, apart from her LGBT+ identity which raises her profile, Jones is a rather dull, low-profile character who sides with no clear faction in the Labour Party. All things considered, she is a worthy successor to the level of brilliance that Alan Brown brough to Westminster.