London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Amy Callaghan has been serving as a Member of Parliament for East Dunbartonshire as a member of the Scottish National Party (SNP). It was right after getting involved in the 2019 general election. Two years earlier, she defeated Jo Swinson, the Liberal Democrat leader, with a narrow majority of 5,339 votes. If you are interested to know more about lifestyle of Amy, keep reading below.
Early Life & Bio
Amy Callaghan (born on 21 May 1992) and is currently 30 years old. The educational background of Amy Callaghan’s educational background includes a BA Honors in Politics from the University of Strathclyde. She attained these degrees after attending both primary and secondary school in Clydebank. Before moving into politics, she worked in some customer-facing roles, such as retail and hospitality, as well as social care.
Her entrance into SNP politics came in 2015. When she joined as the Parliamentary Assistant to ex-Scottish Government Minister for Environment and Land Reform, Aileen McLeod MSP. Subsequently following the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, Callaghan was appointed Office Manager to Rona Mackay MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden. Amy Callaghan was diagnosed with melanoma when she was 19. However, she became cancer-free in 2014. She cites her cancer experience as motivation for protecting the NHS.
Amy Callaghan’s office announced in June 2020 that she had suffered a brain hemorrhage. After that, she has undergone emergency neurosurgery. She spent four months recovering in the Physically Disabled Rehabilitation Unit at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
Political Career
Amy Callaghan was elected as the Scottish National Party’s candidate for East Dunbartonshire in September 2019. At the December 2019 general election, he defeated incumbent MP and Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson. Her first speech in parliament was nine days after she was selected as the SNP’s Spokesperson for Pensions and Intergenerational Affairs. Her brain hemorrhage and subsequent recovery caused her to be discharged from the House of Commons Health. Along with the Social Care Select Committee in June 2020.
She participated virtually in parliamentary debates during her recovery under processes introduced to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic while she recovered. As a result of the removal of these processes in February 2022, she worked harder. This is why she returned to the House of Commons in person to deliver a speech. She described her return as “against doctor’s orders.”
Powerful Return To The Parliament
As a constituent who had suffered a stroke and needed financial assistance, Callaghan said she was traveling to London. The Daily Mirror described this comeback with some interesting headlines. It was mentioned as a “powerful return to Parliament“. The East Dunbartonshire MP pressed Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey to commit to “revising the current levels of Universal Credit”. It was when she claimed the current level of support left people “barely getting by.”
She has spearheaded the campaign for a proxy voting system. Moreover, she urged then-House Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg to reinstate proxy voting along with virtual participation. It was for those with long-term health conditions in January 2022. As MPs would not take votes “seriously” if they participated remotely, Rees-Mogg said he was against digital voting.
During a speech in parliament and a series of interviews, including one with the Daily Record, she revealed a lot of things. Callaghan urged proxy voting on her return to the House of Commons in February 2022. She raised the issue again in the House of Commons in March 2022, describing parliamentary procedures as “exclusionary.”
Controversy With Boris Johnson
After using the word “lying” to Boris Johnson in the House of Commons on 7 June 2022, she took back her comment. Prime Minister Johnson was criticized for “partying, lying, amending the ministerial code, suppressing voters, and watering down human rights.” Nigel Evans interrupted Callaghan and asked her to withdraw the word “lying”.
In June 2022, evidence emerged that Patrick Grady, a colleague of Callaghan’s, had committed “unwanted physical touching, with sexual intent”. It was towards a junior member of the SNP Westminster Group’s staff. Following an inquiry by an independent expert panel, Grady was suspended from the House of Commons for two sitting days.
The panel determined that this infringement was a “significant breach” of the UK Parliament’s sexual misconduct policy. Nevertheless, their findings led to the conclusion that his suspension should be brief. At an SNP group gathering, Callaghan noted to her fellow MPs that they ought to extend their support and compassion to Grady. Despite varying opinions on this matter in the Parliament.
She then went on to suggest that everyone reach out to him at this difficult time. A tough two years for the sector led Callaghan to launch East Dunbartonshire’s first-ever hospitality awards in June 2022. All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Children, Teenagers, and Young Adults with Cancer is chaired by her.
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Personal life & Net Worth
On 16 August 2021, Callaghan got engaged to her long-term partner. Since then she is planning to walk down the aisle with him. However, since her health problems like brain hemorrhage, she is reluctant to take a move. She went through two life-threatening surgeries and tried to come out stronger than before. In her personal life, she has a small dog called Alfie. Amy is an influential politician and earns a good amount of net worth. Her net worth currently stands at $5 million or more. In one of her interviews, Amy stated the following:
‘’In July 2020, I met my constituent Stacey, not at a constituency surgery but at the PDRU at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow. “We recovered from our strokes alongside each other and I got to hear her story.
“Too many people like Stacey have survived catastrophic life events only to be let down by this Government’s woeful welfare system, unable to work and unable to pay for necessities many of us take for granted.” Even though her health issues seem to be a hindrance to her political career, she continues to work diligently.