Ernie Ross | |
---|---|
Member of Parliament for Dundee West | |
In office 3 May 1979 – 11 April 2005 | |
Preceded by | Peter Doig |
Succeeded by | Jim McGovern |
Personal details | |
Born | Ernest Ross 27 July 1942 Dundee, Scotland |
Died | 17 October 2021 Dundee, Scotland | (aged 79)
Political party | Labour |
Spouse |
Jane Moad (
m. 1964) |
Children | 3 |
Ernest Ross (27 July 1942 – 17 October 2021) was a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Dundee West from 1979 to 2005. He was a member of the Labour Party.
Ross was born in Dundee, Scotland, on 27 July 1942. [1] [2] Both his parents were employed by National Cash Register. He completed his primary education at St Joseph's and St Mary's primary schools before attending St John's Roman Catholic High School. [1] After graduating, he first worked as an engineer in a shipyard, then as a senior quality control engineer at Timex. [3] He joined the Labour Party in 1973. [4]
Ross was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Dundee West in the 1979 general election, succeeding Peter Doig. [5] He supported Tony Benn in the 1981 Labour Party deputy leadership election. [1] Ross was re-elected five times until his retirement at the 2005 general election, [5] when he was succeeded by Jim McGovern. [6]
Ross sat on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee from July 1997 to March 1999, the Standards and Privileges Committee from October 1996 to March 1997, and the Education & Employment Committee from November 1995 to March 1997. He also served on the Court of Referees from June 1987 to May 2005. [5] While serving on the foreign affairs committee in 1999, he leaked a draft report to foreign secretary Robin Cook concerning the Sandline affair and Sierra Leone. Cook then erroneously mentioned the findings in interviews ahead of the publication of the report. [1] This led to Ross's resignation from the committee and suspension from the House of Commons for ten days. [7] [8] He was consequently dubbed "the plumber", in reference to his ability to "fix leaks". [3]
Ross was an ardent supporter of Palestinian nationalism, leading to him being nicknamed "the MP for Nablus West". [3] [9] [10] He backed the decision by Dundee City Council in 1980 to twin the city with Nablus. [1] In April of the following year, he took part in a good-will delegation from Dundee to visit Nablus and Kuwait City. [10] [11]
Ross married Jane Moad in 1964. They remained married until his death. Together, they had three children: Stephen, Ali and Karen. He had cancer while serving his first term in Parliament but survived after undergoing keyhole surgery by Alfred Cuschieri. [1]
Ross died on 17 October 2021 in Dundee. He was 79 years old. [1] [12] [13]
Inevitably, he was nicknamed the MP for Nablus.