John Barrett (politician)

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For other persons of the same name, see John Barrett.

John Andrew Barrett (February 11, 1954), Scottish politician, is the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Edinburgh West. Born in Hobart, Tasmania, he was educated at the Forrester High School in Edinburgh, Telford College and Napier College (as it then was). He has been a director of ABC Productions Ltd since 1985. He was elected to the City of Edinburgh Council for South-East Corstorphine ward in 1995 and was the Chairman of the Liberal Democrat Group from 1995. He was the parliamentary election agent for Donald Gorrie in Edinburgh West at the 1997 General Election. He contested the inaugural Scottish Parliament elections in 1999 for Linlithgow and he was defeated by Mary Mulligan. In 2000, Donald Gorrie decided to stand down from Westminster and concentrate on the Scottish Parliament. Barrett won the nomination to defend Edinburgh West at the 2001 General Election, which he did so, easily. He was a spokesman on International Development in 2003, and was promoted by Charles Kennedy in December 2005 to Shadow Minister of State for Scotland. He was re-instated as a spokesman on international development alongside his Scotland Office responsibilities in March 2007. In this role he has fought prominent campaigns against trade in dog and cat fur. Following the boundary changes in 2005, Edinburgh West now includes the areas of Stenhouse and Murrayfield. He was re-elected in the United Kingdom general election, 2005, with a majority of 30% over the nearest (Conservative) candidate, in a seat which the Lib Dems had won for the first time only eight years before. Since 2000, Barrett has also been Vice President of the Scottish Liberal Club. He married Carol, a wildlife artist and former artist-in-residence at Edinburgh Zoo, on the day that Arthur Ashe won the Men's Singles title at Wimbledon. They have a daughter, Sarah, and a granddaughter, Maria.