Paul John Sweeney FIES VR (Scottish Gaelic: Pòl Eòin Mac Suibhne; born 16 January 1989) is a Scottish politician. A member of the Scottish Labour and Co-operative Party, he currently serves as Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Glasgow region in the 6th Scottish Parliament, elected in May 2021. He previously served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow North East from 2017 to 2019.
Paul Sweeney | |
---|---|
Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow (1 of 7 Regional MSPs) | |
Assumed office 8 May 2021 | |
Shadow Minister for Scotland | |
In office 3 July 2017 – 13 December 2019 | |
Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
Preceded by | Gordon Banks (2015) |
Succeeded by | Chris Elmore |
Member of Parliament for Glasgow North East | |
In office 8 June 2017 – 6 November 2019 | |
Preceded by | Anne McLaughlin |
Succeeded by | Anne McLaughlin |
Scottish Labour portfolios | |
May 2021–Jan 2023 | Shadow Minister for Employment and Public Finance |
Jan 2023–Present | Shadow Minister for Mental Health |
Personal details | |
Born | Glasgow, Scotland, UK | 16 January 1989
Political party | Scottish Labour & Co-operative Party |
Education | Turnbull High School |
Alma mater | University of Glasgow University of Stirling |
Website | pauljsweeney |
Military service | |
Branch/service | British Army (Army Reserve) |
Years of service | 2006–18 |
Unit | Royal Regiment of Scotland Royal Corps of Signals |
Early life and education
editSweeney was born at Stobhill Hospital in Glasgow on 16 January 1989 to Anne Patricia Sweeney (née Doherty), a bank clerk and John Gordon Sweeney, a shipyard worker.[1] The elder of two brothers,[2] he was brought up in Auchinairn, and Milton.[3] Sweeney attended St. Matthew's Primary School and Turnbull High School in Bishopbriggs.
Sweeney studied for a degree at the University of Glasgow, where he graduated with a first class MA (Hons) in Economic History and Political Science in 2011.[4][5][6] At university he also became involved in debating with the Glasgow University Dialectic Society, of which he is an honorary life member.[7] He served as a trustee on the Glasgow University Union's board of management from 2013 to 2020.[8]
Before politics
editAt the age of seventeen, Sweeney joined the Army Reserve, initially serving in the Royal Corps of Signals with 32 Signal Regiment, before transferring to 52nd Lowland, 6th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland at Walcheren Barracks.[9]
After an internship with BAE Systems at Portsmouth Naval Base as an undergraduate, Sweeney joined the company's graduate development programme with BAE Systems Maritime – Naval Ships in 2011,[10] based at the Govan and Scotstoun shipyards on the Clyde, where he undertook a series of roles in production engineering and shipbuilding operations management on the Type 45 destroyer, Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier and Type 26 frigate programmes, including co-authoring a 2014 publication on the construction programme for the Type 45 destroyer.[11][12] Whilst at BAE Systems, Sweeney also initiated a project with the Glasgow School of Art's Digital Design Studio to introduce virtual reality methods into complex naval ship design and construction.[13][14]
At the end of 2015, Sweeney joined the national economic development agency Scottish Enterprise as a senior executive, working with the leadership of companies across the defence, marine, shipbuilding, aerospace and engineering sectors based in Scotland.[15] In April 2016, he was elected as a Council Member and Fellow of the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland (IESIS).[16]
Early political career
editSweeney joined the Labour Party and Co-operative Party in 2008[17] and first became an active campaigner during the 2009 Glasgow North East by-election, after receiving a telephone call from Sarah Brown encouraging him to get involved.[3] While working in the shipyards he joined the Unite and GMB trade unions, later joining PCS whilst at Scottish Enterprise.[18] He is also on the executive committee of the Scottish Fabian Society and a member of Open Labour, Momentum and Campaign for Socialism. Sweeney came to prominence during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, after he organised an open letter signed by young shipyard workers opposing the break-up of the UK, and subsequently spoke at a rally alongside Gordon Brown on the eve of the referendum.[19][20][21][22]
Sweeney was twelfth on the Scottish Labour Party's regional list for West Scotland in the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.[23]
Member of Parliament (2017-19)
edit2017 election
editAt the 2017 general election he stood for Glasgow North East where a 12% swing to Labour led to him defeating Anne McLaughlin of the SNP by just 242 votes, overturning a 25% majority of 9,222 in an unexpected result, having not even prepared a victory speech.[24][25] McLaughlin had taken the seat from the previous MP, William Bain of the Labour Party at the 2015 general election, and she had been elected with a 39% swing; which was the largest swing at the 2015 general election seen anywhere in the UK.[26] The seat and its predecessors had previously been held by Labour MPs continuously since George Hardie, brother of the Labour Party's founder Keir Hardie, was elected for Glasgow Springburn in 1935. At the age of 28, he was the second youngest Labour MP elected in 2017, after Danielle Rowley.[27]
MP for Glasgow North East
editOn 3 July 2017, he was appointed by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as the Shadow Under-Secretary of State for Scotland.[28] During the 2017 Scottish Labour leadership election, Sweeney endorsed Richard Leonard, who was ultimately the successful candidate, having previously worked with him to co-author Scottish Labour's industrial strategy in 2016.[29][30] In an interview with Ewen MacAskill of The Guardian shortly after his election, he described himself as being on the soft left of the party.[31]
He was a critic of the seven Labour MPs who defected to form Change UK in February 2019, describing them as "self-centred careerists" at a meeting which took place the following month to mark the relaunch of Tribune magazine.[32]
In November 2018, he won 'Best Scot at Westminster' in the annual Scottish Politician of the Year awards,[33] following his lobbying of the Home Secretary and Prime Minister in asylum seeker rights cases such as that of Giorgi Kakava, a ten-year-old orphan who had been threatened with deportation following the death of his mother,[34] the Kamil family who had been left without status for 18 years,[35] teenage brothers Somer and Areeb Umeed Bakhsh,[36][37] who were also supported by the Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn during a visit to Possilpark in August 2018,[38] and trafficking victim Duc Nguyen.[39]
In February 2019, the Daily Record reported that an unnamed Scottish MP had made a formal complaint that Scottish Conservative MP Ross Thomson had groped them in Strangers' Bar in October 2018, in the wake of a similar incident that was alleged to have occurred earlier that month.[40] The Daily Mail named Sweeney as the complainant in November 2019, leading to the chairman of Thomson's local Conservative Association refusing to sign the nomination papers to allow him to stand as a Conservative candidate for Aberdeen South in the December 2019 general election.[41] Thomson's former civil partner also came forward to cite similar instances of behaviour.[42] The Times reported in February 2020 that the investigation had been widened to include a further allegation of a similar nature.[43] In July 2020, Sweeney branded the investigation process "shambolic" and "not fit for purpose".[44] In October 2020, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards ruled that the allegation of sexual assault was not upheld by the available evidence. The Commissioner found there was evidence Thomson put his arms around Sweeney and inappropriately invaded his personal space while drunk but ruled there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond reasonable doubt that this behaviour was sexual in nature.[45] It has since been reported that Sweeney is appealing the ruling.[46]
In 2019, he was cited as the least expensive MP in Scotland by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, including: constituency office costs and staff salaries, as well as London accommodation rent and travel costs.[47]
2019 election
editSweeney lost his seat to the previous Scottish National Party MP Anne McLaughlin, at the 2019 general election with a marginal majority of 2,458 votes on a 4% swing, the closest result in Glasgow.[48] After losing his seat, he went on to work on Angela Rayner's successful campaign in the 2020 Labour Party deputy leadership election.[49] He described the experience of losing his seat as, “The most spectacular sacking in recent Glasgow history. I was the only scalp in Glasgow that night. It was a fairly unpleasant experience. It's almost like a public execution. It's got a grim voyeurism to it. It's one of the few examples in society where people losing their jobs is treated like a blood sport.”[50]
During the campaign, Sweeney was forced to apologise after tweeting about wanting to play a game of "Whac-a-Sturgeon" a remark the then-First Minister tweeted about saying "What a charmer".[51]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sweeney revealed he had begun applying for Universal Credit in May 2020,[49] saying "The reality is, the majority of Scots are working class – if they stopped earning a salary, within two months they'd be in financial difficulties. However prestigious or seemingly privileged you are in terms of your work or identity, you're never far away from that. If more of us realised how close we are to that peril, maybe the social security system wouldn't be so punitive."[52] He later wrote an article describing his experiences of life on social security in December 2020, stating "I will admit that I’ve occasionally had suicidal thoughts in my darker moments over the last few months." He also called for Universal Credit to be converted into a Universal Basic Income system.[53]
Scottish Parliament
edit2021 Scottish Parliament election
editSweeney was third on Scottish Labour's regional list for the Glasgow region in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.[54] Following the 2021 Scottish Labour leadership election, Anas Sarwar appointed Sweeney as a spokesman for Trade, Investment and Innovation.[55] Sweeney was elected as an MSP for the Glasgow region in the 6th Scottish Parliament on 8 May 2021.
2021-present: regional list MSP for Glasgow
editHe was appointed as Shadow Shadow Minister for Employment and Shadow Public Finance on 31 May 2021.[56]
In May 2022, Mr Sweeney launched a consultation on his proposed bill, the Drugs Death Prevention (Scotland) Bill, in response to drug related deaths in Scotland, aiming to enable the establishment of Overdose Prevention Centres.[57][58] In November 2022, he won 'Community MSP of the Year' at The Herald's Scottish Politician of the Year awards for his work on the drugs death crisis, including a bill to establish overdose prevention centres.[59]
In February 2024, Sweeney was forced to withdraw his sponsorship of a Scottish Parliamentary event celebrating BAE Systems after strong public condemnation surrounding their involvement in providing arms to the Israeli military.[60] The following week Sweeney’s constituency office was raided by six protesters protesting his failure to support the people of Palestine.[61]
Sweeney backed the UK Government’s decision to introduce means-testing for the Winter Fuel Payment, voting in the Scottish Parliament against calls to reverse the decision.[62]
Political views
editSweeney has called for all private schools in Scotland to be stripped of their charitable status and integrated with the state sector.[63] The policy of private school integration was later adopted at the 2019 Labour Party Conference.[64]
A supporter of drug policy reform whilst an MP,[65] in March 2020 Sweeney announced that he was supporting activist Peter Krykant in his efforts to open an unsanctioned supervised overdose prevention site in Glasgow in an effort to persuade the Lord Advocate and Scottish Government to introduce a legal framework to regulate their official operation, in a similar manner to needle and syringe programmes.[66] It started operating in September 2020.[67][68]
Brexit
editSweeney campaigned for the UK to remain as a member state of the European Union during the 2016 referendum.[69] As an MP, he was a prominent supporter of the Labour campaign for a confirmatory public vote on the terms of the Brexit withdrawal agreement, voting for that option along with being in a Customs Union and remaining in the Single Market during the Parliamentary votes on Brexit[70] He supported the continuation of freedom of movement for workers.[71]
In leaked WhatsApp messages, the "soft Brexit" position taken by Scottish Labour in its 2019 European Parliament election campaign was criticised by Sweeney, who wrote, "If it's like this then it's a bad misjudgement and I'm having nothing to do with it... Let's hope the NEC [National Executive Committee] kill this bullshit line."[72] Scottish Labour lost both its seats, receiving 9.3% of the vote and coming fifth behind the SNP, Brexit Party, Scottish Liberal Democrats and Scottish Conservatives respectively.[73]
He was also one of 78 Parliamentarians who challenged the five-week prorogation of Parliament by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the Court of Session. The case, together with a case brought in England and Wales by Gina Miller, was ultimately successful in the Supreme Court, resulting in the quashing of the prorogation on 24 September 2019.[74]
UK constitutional reform
editAlthough not in favour of Scottish independence, Sweeney has consistently called for major reform to make the UK a federal state,[75] including greater self-government for the Greater Glasgow city region,[76] replacing the House of Lords with an elected Senate. He has suggested that any future independence referendum should not be a binary vote as in 2014, but instead take the form of a multi-option referendum.[77]
He supports replacing the first-past-the-post voting system for the House of Commons with proportional representation and is a member of the Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform.[78][79]
Asylum and immigration
editSweeney opposed Home Office contractor Serco[80] evicting hundreds of asylum seekers from their accommodation across Glasgow,[81][82][83] In 2019 he committed Labour to ending unlimited immigration detention in prison-like facilities, including Dungavel.[84] In May 2021, the Home Office arrested two men in Pollokshields leading to a mass protest surrounding the immigration enforcement van. Sweeney addressed the protest and called for Glaswegians to join the picket in support of the detained men.[85] In December 2021, he launched a campaign to extend the Scottish National Entitlement Card eligibility for free bus travel to all asylum seekers resident in Scotland, arguing that the vast majority were fleeing wars and persecution, but until their applications are determined they are not allowed to work, are subject to "no recourse to public funds" visa restrictions and are forced to live in "slum-like" accommodation, with just over £5 a day to live on.[86]
Armed forces and veterans
editSweeney voiced his concern to the Prime Minister, Theresa May about British participation in the April 2018 missile strikes against Syria, calling for an “internationally policed no-fly zone" over Syria to stop the regime bombing its own population.[87] In the wake of a series of veteran suicides in the summer of 2018, including from his former regiment,[88] He has criticised the British Army and Ministry of Defence for inadequate mental health support for former soldiers, and a lack of sufficient records to establish the scale of the problem, accusing them of ‘passing the buck’ to overstretched military charities like Combat Stress.[89] In 2019, he campaigned to allow over 6,000 personnel currently serving in the British Armed Forces from foreign and Commonwealth countries the right to British citizenship without immigration fees, including the Brigade of Gurkhas.[90][91] Sweeney also successfully campaigned to restore the Highland Light Infantry memorial in Kelvingrove Park after it was vandalised in February 2019.[92]
Appointed as Scottish Labour's armed forces and veterans spokesman after his election as an MSP, Sweeney has been critical of the decision in the Ministry of Defence's 2021 Defence in a Competitive Age command paper to transfer the historic Royal Scots Borderers battalion from the Royal Regiment of Scotland into the new Ranger Regiment, losing its identity as a Scottish infantry unit, while cutting the size of the Black Watch battalion and also reducing the regiment's pipe bands.[93]
Public transport infrastructure
editSweeney called for the protection of the proposed route of the Glasgow Crossrail project on the former City of Glasgow Union Railway line from encroachment by residential developers on a site east of the High Street, at Collegelands.[94][95][96] Sweeney has called for the extension of High Speed 2 north from Manchester to Glasgow.[97]
Local government
editSweeney has spoken out against cuts to local public amenities by Glasgow City Council, including the controversial closure of the People's Palace in January 2019,[98] and supporting community-led campaigns against the closure of Whitehill Swimming Pool in Dennistoun,[99] and the city's six municipal golf courses.[100]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he led calls for Glasgow City Council to abolish a 1996 by-law that bans drinking in the city's public parks and other outdoor spaces, and to license family-orientated beer gardens in the main parks to raise money for the city.[101]
Glasgow Works
editSweeney led a campaign against the closure of the last railway engineering works in Springburn, the St. Rollox ‘Caley’ Railway Works in concert with the Unite and RMT trade unions, lobbying both the UK and Scottish Governments to renationalise the works[102][103] In May 2022, it was reported that an application he had made for the railway works site to be designated as listed by Historic Environment Scotland was successful, with the buildings and railway sidings awarded a category B listing.[104][105]
As vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Shipbuilding and Ship Repair,[106] he frequently raised matters of concern about Ministry of Defence's National Shipbuilding Strategy, co-authoring a report that was published in May 2019.[107] He called for greater investment in improvements to the Clyde's shipyard infrastructure,[108] a long-term continuous shipbuilding programme from Defence Equipment and Support,[109] condemned delays to Type 31 frigate procurement,[110] and was part of a successful campaign to get acommitment from the Ministry of Defence that the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's planned Fleet Solid Support Ships are built in British shipyards.[111][112][113]
Outside politics
editSweeney has an interest in built heritage and architectural issues in Glasgow.[114] He is a director of the Glasgow City Heritage Trust, a member of Glasgow Building Preservation Trust[115] and has led walks as part of Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival for several years.[116] Sweeney was also involved in the restoration of the historic former Govan shipyard head offices into the Fairfield Heritage Centre in 2014, for which he won an award, and the restoration of the 'Light and Life' sculpture on the former headquarters building of the Scottish Co-operative Wholesale Society in the Kingston district of Glasgow in 2016.[117][118] In 2021, he became a trustee of The Egyptian Halls SCIO, a Scottish Civic Trust project to save the Alexander 'Greek' Thomson masterpiece.[119][120]
After campaigning against the demolition of Springburn Public Halls in 2012,[121] he founded the Springburn Winter Gardens Trust, which is working to restore the nearby historic glasshouse in Springburn Park.[122] An £8 million restoration programme by Collective Architecture to convert the building into a major events and performance venue was unveiled by the Trust in October 2020.[123]
References
edit- ^ "Michael and Paul fired up for Army adventure". Kirkintilloch Herald. 7 January 2009. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- ^ "Getting to know you: Paul Sweeney MP". Holyrood Magazine. 9 November 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ a b Wearmouth, Rachel (2 November 2017). "17 From '17: Paul Sweeney, From Glasgow's Shipyards To The Green Benches". HuffPost. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ "Alumni". Glasgow University. Archived from the original on 19 August 2019.
- ^ "MyGlasgow News". Glasgow University.
- ^ "Profiles of the new Scottish MPs". Holyrood Magazine. Archived from the original on 16 January 2018.
- ^ "Order Paper". Glasgow University Dialectic Society. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
- ^ "Board of Management". Glasgow University Union. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- ^ "Michael and Paul fired up for Army adventure". Kirkintilloch Herald.
- ^ "Sweeney, Paul John". Who's Who. Vol. 2018 (February 2018 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 14 February 2018. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Sweeney, Paul John. Who's Who. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U289520. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4.
- ^ "2014 World Naval Review". Seaforth Publishers. 7 November 2013. ISBN 9781848323261.
- ^ "Virtual Reality Transforms UK Shipbuilding". YouTube.
- ^ "Virtual reality warships: Why BAE is diving into 3D". The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- ^ "Who are Scotland's new MPs?". BBC News. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
- ^ "Council and Office Bearers". IESIS.
- ^ "Who's who on the Scottish Labour left". Morning Star. 3 May 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ "Statement on the Clyde shipbuilding industry". Labour Hame. 3 May 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ^ "Scottish independence: Young shipbuilders express 'Yes' vote concerns". BBC News. 15 September 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ "Only a No vote will save the Clyde". YouTube. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ "Labour Argue "Vote No" For Better Jobs in a Stronger Scotland". Economic Voice. 15 September 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ "Live Blog". Labour List. 15 September 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ^ "Scottish Labour announce list candidates for May's election". Labour List. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ "Election 2017: Glasgow North East". BBC News. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ "Glasgow North East Labour MP Paul Sweeney: "Yes badges were cool in 2014 – now it's Jeremy"". New Statesman. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ "How Glasgow North East's Divergent Paths Took It Back to Labour". New Statesman. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ "Meet the four new MPs who are still in their 20s". BBC News. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ "Reshuffle 2: The Maintenance of the Malcontents". New Socialist. 8 July 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
- ^ "Sweeney declares his support for Leonard in race to be next leader of Scottish Labour". The Herald. 15 September 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ "Richard Leonard Has All The Attributes To Galvanise Labour's Scotland Recovery". HuffPost. 27 September 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
- ^ MacAskill, Ewen (23 August 2017). "'Labour is coming back in Scotland': party predicts revival as Corbyn heads north". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Scottish Labour MP criticised for calling defections a 'necessary cleansing'". The Herald. 18 March 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
- ^ "Jeane Freeman named Scotland's Politician of the Year". BBC News. 23 November 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
- ^ "Schoolboy Giorgi celebrates at Celtic Park as he's saved from Serco eviction". The Evening Times. 7 September 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
- ^ "Glasgow hunger strike family granted leave to remain". BBC News. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
- ^ "Glasgow teen brothers win seven-year deportation fight with Home Office". The Daily Record. 25 October 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
- ^ "Glasgow teen brothers win seven-year deportation fight with Home Office". The Scotsman. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
- ^ "Labour leader joins battle to prevent two Springburn brothers being deported". The Scotsman. 23 August 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ "Government thwarted in bid to deport modern slavery victim who feared he would be killed if returned". The Independent. 13 June 2018. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
- ^ "Tory Ross Thomson in fresh Commons sex pest claims as Scots MP says he was groped". Daily Record. 20 February 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ Johnson, Simon (3 November 2019). "Tory MP Ross Thomson stands down after Labour MP alleges sexual assault in Commons bar". The Telegraph. Telegraph. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- ^ "Tory MP Ross Thomson's ex partner backs Labour MP Paul Sweeney after grope claims". The Daily Record. 4 November 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Second claim against former MP Ross Thomson accused of fondling rival". The Times. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Standards watchdog blasted for 'shambolic' investigation into Ross Thomson 'grope' incident". Press and Journal. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Ross Thomson: Former Tory MP cleared of groping Labour politician". BBC News. 29 October 2020.
- ^ "Former Labour MP lodges appeal after groping claim about Ross Thomson is rejected". Daily Record. 12 December 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Glasgow MP named least expensive". Glasgow Live. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- ^ Armstrong, Gary (13 December 2019). "Labour's Paul Sweeney loses Glasgow North East seat to SNP". glasgowlive. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ a b "From 'rising star' MP to claiming universal credit". BBC News. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ Hutcheon, Paul (13 December 2019). "Ex Labour MP Paul Sweeney says Glasgow seat loss felt like 'public execution' as he opens up on being unemployed for first time". Daily Record. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ Duffy, Elle (15 September 2019). "Labour MP Paul Sweeney forced to apologise for 'whack-a-Sturgeon' tweet after First Minister hit with tennis ball". The Herald. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ "'It's disorienting': former Glasgow MP left claiming universal credit". The Guardian. 16 May 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "I'm an ex-MP who is now on Universal Credit – most people are just a few wage slips away from hardship". The i. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Exclusive: Scottish Labour list selection ballot votes and results revealed". LabourList.
- ^ "Anas Sarwar unveils Scottish Labour's new frontbench team". BBC News.
- ^ Davidson, Peter (31 May 2021). "Scottish Labour announce shadow team as Anas Sarwar focuses on national recovery". Daily Record. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
- ^ Sweeney, Paul. "Proposed Drugs Death Prevention Scotland Bill". Parliament.scot. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ "Drug Death Prevention Bill" (PDF). Parliament.scot. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ^ "Anas Sarwar named Herald Scottish Politician of the Year". The Herald. 24 November 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
- ^ "Paul Sweeney pulls out of Israel-linked arms trade event in Holyrood". The National. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ "Glasgow MSP office 'stormed' by pro-Palestinian protestors leaving staff 'terrified'". The Scottish Express. 22 February 2024. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ "How every MSP voted as Holyrood rejected the UK's Winter Fuel Payment cut". The National. 8 October 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
- ^ "Labour targets Scotland's 'elitist' private schools". The Times. 16 June 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Labour plan to abolish private schools branded worrying". Ayr Advertiser. 23 September 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- ^ "Glasgow Labour MP insists decriminalising drugs is right move and admits 'lack of impetus' concerns". Daily Record. 10 July 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Labour's Paul Sweeney to risk arrest by working in Drug Consumption Room". Daily Record. 3 March 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Mobile 'fix room' begins operating in Glasgow". BBC News. 2 September 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Former MP staffing mobile drugs consumption van to help save lives of addicts". Daily Record. 21 October 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "How and why we must fight against no deal and for EU membership". Labour List. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ "Most Scottish Labour MPs now back new Brexit vote". The Herald. 15 February 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ "Labour must remember that freedom of movement is a class issue". Labour List. 4 July 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ "Scottish Labour meltdown over leaked European election messages". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- ^ "SNP increases MEPs amid Labour collapse". BBC News. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- ^ "Supreme Court: Suspending Parliament was unlawful, judges rule". BBC News. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
- ^ "Scottish Independence: Labour-backed referendum would contain "third" federal option". The Scotsman. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Paul Sweeney: The Case for Municipal Socialism". Red Robin. 14 March 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Labour would block Yes/No question on Scottish independence". The Herald. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Defeated candidate Paul Sweeney called for 'radical reform' of Labour party". The Herald. 15 December 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Ex-Labour MP Paul Sweeney supports federalism". The Times. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Serco 'considering' suspending refugee evictions". The Herald. 31 July 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ "Glasgow's failed asylum seekers: 'I think of suicide'". BBC Newsnight. 27 July 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ "MPs call for asylum shake-up after Serco 'pauses' refugee evictions plan in Glasgow". i News. 5 August 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ "Glaswegians protest against Serco evictions". The Evening Times. 15 June 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ "Glasgow Labour candidate Paul Sweeney commits to 'immediate closure' of detention centres". The Evening Times. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ Simpson, Bryan. "Working-Class Glasgow Stood With Refugees". Jacobin. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
- ^ "Scotland Budget: SNP ministers urged to extend free bus travel to asylum seekers". The National. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
- ^ "What Glasgow MPs said to Theresa May on Syria air strikes". Evening Times. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Glasgow soldier MP calls for greater care of veterans after sixth soldier suicide in just over a week". Daily Record. 28 August 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Scots soldier MP Paul Sweeney attacks defence chiefs over armed forces suicide epidemic". Daily Record. 9 October 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "The second-class Commonwealth soldiers in the British Army are the last bastion of colonialism – it is time for equal citizenship rights". Politics Home. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Troops should not have to pay to stay in Britain with their partners after serving". Daily Record. 13 May 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Glasgow war memorial restored as ex-soldier MP slams vandals". Daily Record. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Army veteran MSP Paul Sweeney slams Black Watch cuts". The Courier. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
- ^ "New rented homes plan near High Street has 'killed off Crossrail link for Glasgow'". Evening Times. 12 December 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Crossrail Glasgow Hits Buffers As 700 Luxury Flats Approved On Vital Railway Site". A Thousand Flowers. 10 December 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Glasgow Crossrail". Rail. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Paul looks for team approach to serve city". Evening Times. 30 July 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Row over closure of Glasgow's Winter Gardens". The Times. 4 January 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Hundreds rally to save under-threat Dennistoun pool". Evening Times. 17 January 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Golfers grill Glasgow councillors over public course closure fears". Evening Times. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Here's why Glasgow's ban on outdoor drinking won't be lifted anytime soon". Glasgow Live. 22 June 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
- ^ "MP demands nationalisation of historic St Rollox railway works to save 200 jobs". Glasgow Live. 10 February 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Calls to nationalise Glasgow rail depot in bid to save 200 jobs from axe". Daily Record. 10 February 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "St Rollox Caley rail yard: B-listed status conferred on historic Glasgow works". The Herald. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
- ^ "Glasgow's St Rollox 'Caley' railway works given B-listed historic status". Glasgow Live. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
- ^ "Register Of All-Party Parliamentary Groups". UK Parliament. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "All-Party Parliamentary Group for Shipbuilding publish report on the industry". Save the Royal Navy. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Labour MP Paul Sweeney: new thinking puts Clyde 'frigate factory' back on agenda". The Herald. 27 July 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "The Type 4X Destroyer – The next British warship". UK Defence Journal. 21 October 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Frigate decision 'body blow' for shipyards say union bosses". BBC News. 25 July 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Paul Sweeney: Make Clyde shipbuilding great again". The Herald. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Watchdogs urged to launch an investigation into the ownership of Inchgreen Drydock". Greenock Telegraph. 25 April 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Fury over River Clyde dock owner's £619million warship repair snub". Sunday Mail. 14 October 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Paul Sweeney: How Glasgow's derelict land is limiting the city's ability to flourish". Common Space. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ^ "A third of new MPs have arts and culture links". Arts Professional. 13 June 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ^ "Springburn reunion marks campaign to restore derelict winter gardens". Common Space. 21 September 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ^ "Manufacturing Champions 2014" (PDF). Works Management.
- ^ "Co-operative House and the statue of Light and Life". 95 Morrison Street.
- ^ "Egyptian Halls Trust". Egyptian Halls Trust.
- ^ Watson, Jeremy. "Fresh bid to save historic Egyptian Halls masterpiece from crumbling". The Times.
- ^ "Save_facade_of_Springburn_Public_Halls_from_imminent_demolition". The Herald. 27 December 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ^ "Campaign to save decaying Springburn Winter Gardens needs help from an architect". Glasgow Live. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ^ "Ambitious £8.1m plans to transform derelict Springburn Winter Gardens". Glasgow Times. 12 October 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
External links
edit- Personal website
- Scottish Parliament profiles of MSPs: Paul Sweeney
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
- Paul Sweeney on Twitter
- Paul Sweeney's channel on YouTube
- Appearances on C-SPAN