Margaret Beckett Margaret Beckett Dame Margaret Mary Beckett (; born 15 January 1943) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Derby South since 1983. She was the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party under John Smith from 1992 to 1994, and briefly served as Leader of the Labour Party after Smith died suddenly. She later served in the Cabinet under Prime Minister Tony Blair in a number of roles, becoming Britain's first female Foreign Secretary in 2006. Beckett was first elected to Parliament in 1974 for Lincoln and held junior positions in the governments
Organisation of the Scottish Labour Party proposals for giving it more freedom from London control. He went on to become a Fife councillor, Leader of the Council, and then MSP for Cowdenbeath. He is now Deputy Leader of the Party Lesley Quinn, joined the Labour Party as a 16-year-old junior shorthand typist. Assistant General Secretary of the Scottish Labour Party, became acting general secretary in June 1999 to co-ordinate the party's 1999 European election campaign. November 1999, formally appointed as General Secretary of Scottish Labour Party. Quinn stood down at the 2008 Scottish Labour conference in Aviemore in March. Colin Smyth. Dumfries and Galloway councillor (Nith