Katy Clark was first elected as the MP for North Ayrshire and Arran in 2005 and re-elected in 2010. She became a member of the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee, Environmental Audit Committee and the Committee on Arms Exports Controls in 2010. In the previous Parliament she was a member of the Scottish Affairs Committee, European Scrutiny Committee and Procedure Committee. She was appointed to the Speaker’s Panel of Chairs in 2010.

She was born in Kilwinning and brought up in Ayrshire. She studied law at the University of Aberdeen and University of Edinburgh and graduated as a solicitor in Scotland, England and Wales.

She has been a member of the Labour Party since 1985 and is a member of both the GMB and CWU trade unions. She is also a member of the Co-operative Party. After qualifying as a solicitor Katy worked in private practice until 1998 in Edinburgh and Musselburgh. Following that she became a legal officer for UNISON and worked with them until she was elected as an MP for North Ayrshire and Arran.

She has campaigned on a wide range of issues since entering Parliament particularly on issues relating to employment rights, closing the pay gap between men and women and against the privatisation of the public sector. Her political interests include disarmament, women’s rights, environmental and poverty issues.

She is a member of the CWU, GMB, UNISON, FBU, Bakers Union, NUJ, UNITE, PCS, RMT, ASLEF and TSSA Parliamentary Groups as well as a number of All Party Groups.