About Lesley Laird
Lesley Margaret Laird (née Langan; born 15 November 1958) is a Scottish politician who served as Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 2017 to 2019. She was Member of Parliament (MP) for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath from 2017 to 2019, and Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland during the same period. Laird was a Member of Fife Council from 2012 to 2018 and served as the Deputy Leader of the Council. == Early life and career == Lesley Margaret Langan was born on 15 November 1958 in Greenock, Scotland. She was educated at James Watt College, Caledonian University and then Edinburgh Napier University. Prior to her election to Parliament, she was employed in senior human resources posts in the electronic, semiconductor and financial service industries. Laird was first selected by her Constituency Labour Party to contend the 2012 local elections, and was returned alongside her Scottish Labour running mate. She was appointed spokesperson for economy and planning in February 2013 and one year later was elected by her fellow Labour councillors to the post of deputy leader. Laird spoke on behalf of Fife Council at the Barclay Review looking at non-domestic rates across Scotland and called for reform, saying the current scheme favoured out-of-town retailers. She led the call from Fife Council for a radical overhaul of the Scottish planning system.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.