Maureen Burke Explained

Honorific-Prefix:Councillor
Maureen Burke
Honorific-Suffix:MP
Office:Member of Parliament
for Glasgow North East
Term Start:4 July 2024
Predecessor:Anne McLaughlin
Office1:Glasgow City Council Councillor
for North East
Term Start1:3 May 2012
Party:Labour
Alma Mater:John Wheatley College
Majority:4,637 (13.6%)

Maureen Burke (born September 1958) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow North East since 2024.[1]

She is also a sitting Glasgow City Councillor.[2]

Political career

Since the 2012 Glasgow City Council election she has represented the North East ward on Glasgow City Council as a Councillor,[2] and is currently the chair of the Glasgow City Council Operational Performance and Delivery Scrutiny Committee.[3]

She was a remunerated director of Glasgow East Women's Aid[4] before its liquidation in March 2024.[5]

At the 2024 United Kingdom general election she was elected as the Labour Member of Parliament for Glasgow North East with a majority of 4637 votes over the incumbent Anne McLaughlin.[6]

Pre-Political Career

Burke worked as a factory operative at A. & J. Gelfer Ltd, a tie manufacturing factory in Bridgeton, Glasgow from the age of 15,[7] before moving into administrative support for the company, which went into liquidation in December 2000.[8] She then studied at John Wheatley College, aged 40 before working as a parliamentary assistant for former Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow Baillieston and MP for Glasgow East, Margaret Curran until the 2015 general election.

Personal life

Burke lives in the Easterhouse area of Glasgow with her husband. She has one daughter and two granddaughters.

Parliamentary Career

One of her first votes in parliament on July 23rd 2024, was a vote against ending the Two-Child Limit to benefit payments.[9]

Evidence to embezzlement trial of ex-colleague

In 2018, as a sitting Councillor, Burke gave evidence at Glasgow Sheriff Court in the trial of an ex-Labour councillor, Yvonne Kucuk, for whom Burke worked as a personal assistant.[10] The case examined the embezzlement of £8690 from local charity the 'People's Development Trust' – in 2016 Burke was in possession of a bag with £2000 in cash, a mobile phone and some paperwork given by Kucuk and was asked to return it to the trust; she had handed the bag over to the then, trust manager Michael Kennedy, who proceeded to count the money in front of Burke.[11]

Notes and References

  1. News: Election 2024 > Glasgow North East results . . 5 July 2024.
  2. Web site: Councillor Maureen Burke .
  3. Web site: Committee Information - Committee Members . Glasgow City Council.
  4. Web site: Register of Interests: Maureen Burke . . 6 July 2024.
  5. Web site: Women's Aid staff given 'no notice' before closure amid bullying allegations . STV News . 8 March 2024 .
  6. News: Election 2024 > Glasgow North East results . . 7 July 2024.
  7. News: Glasgow Election 2022: North East candidates push for more police and more funding . Sarah . Hilley . glasgowlive.co.uk . 14 May 2021 . 6 July 2024.
  8. Web site: Dora Street Bridgeton .
  9. Web site: King's Speech (Motion for an Address): Amendment (d) - Commons' votes in Parliament - UK Parliament.
  10. https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/16980837.former-councillor-accused-embezzling-8k-trust/ Former councillor accused of embezzling £8k from trust
  11. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-45836795 Ex-Glasgow councillor 'handed over bag containing £2,000'