Philippa Whitford

Philippa Whitford
MP
SNP Spokesperson for Health
Assumed office
20 May 2015
Preceded by Position established
Member of Parliament
for Central Ayrshire
Assumed office
8 May 2015
Preceded by Brian Donohoe
Majority 13,589 (26.8%)
Personal details
Born (1958-12-24) 24 December 1958
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Political party Scottish National Party
Spouse(s) Hans Pieper
Children 1
Alma mater University of Glasgow
Website Official website

Philippa Whitford (born 24 December 1958) is a Scottish surgeon and Scottish National Party politician. She has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Central Ayrshire since May 2015.[1] She is the SNP Health spokesperson in the House of Commons.

Early life

Whitford was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and moved to Scotland at the age of 10.[2] She was educated at Wood Green: St. Angela's Providence Convent Secondary School in London and Douglas Academy in Milngavie, before studying at the University of Glasgow, where she graduated with medical degrees.[2]

Surgical career

Whitford worked as a consultant breast surgeon at Crosshouse Hospital for more than 18 years.

Just after the First Gulf War and during the First Palestinian Intifada at the age of 30, Whitford served for a year and a half as a medical volunteer in a UN hospital in Gaza.[3] She spent the 2016 parliamentary recess travelling to the West Bank to surgery on 4 women suffering from breast cancer, and visited the Gaza Strip to advise local hospitals on how to improve health care.[4]

Political career

Whitford joined the Scottish National Party in 2012. She became involved with the campaigning that occurred during the Scottish independence referendum in 2014. She had spoken in favour of independence, advocating it as a way of protecting NHS Scotland from the same kind of "creeping privatisation agenda undermining services in England."[5] She helped bring the NHS to the fore of the independence campaign when an online video of her arguing against the dangers of privatisation went viral.[6]

House of Commons

Whitford was selected to contest Central Ayrshire for the SNP in the 2015 General Election. She polled 26,999 votes and 53.2% of the vote and defeated the incumbent Labour MP, Brian Donohoe, by 13,589.[7] She made her maiden speech on 2 June 2015.[8]

Personal life

Whitford is married to Hans Pieper, a German national who works as a general practitioner, and they have one son.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Election 2015: Ayrshire Central, Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Brown, Annie (10 July 2014). "Independence referendum: Top surgeon becomes viral hit after making impassioned plea to vote Yes to save the NHS". Daily Record. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  3. ↑ Jefferson, Rodney (25 March 2015). "The Scottish Streets Where a U.K. Election Will Be Won or Lost". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  4. ↑ Joe Dyke, 'British MP performs cancer surgery for Palestinian women,' The Times of Israel 8 April 2016
  5. ↑ Clarke, Sandy (5 February 2015). "Consultant breast surgeon Dr Philippa Whitford is selected as SNP candidate to battle for the Central Ayrshire seat in May's General Election". Daily Record. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  6. ↑ "Scotland's new MPs". Bailiwick Express. 12 May 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  7. ↑ "Ayrshire Central". Election 2015. BBC News. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  8. ↑ Dr Philippa Whitford (2 June 2015). "Health and Social Care". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Commons. col. 477–479.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Brian Donohoe		 Member of Parliament
for Central Ayrshire
2015–present 		Incumbent


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