About Shona...

Shona was born in 1960 in the ancient Fife town of Dunfermline.

As her late father, Angus, was a chef in the Royal Navy, her childhood and early teenage years were spent living in many forces bases in England and Scotland, as well as a stint at NATO HQ in Belgium, where she attended a Canadian School.

On the family’s return to the UK from Belgium, they were stationed in Plymouth in Devon, where Shona’s parents chose to settle when Angus left the forces. Initially, having never taken an 11 plus exam, Shona attended Barne Barton Secondary Modern School. However, following a serious fire at the school, she was transferred to Stoke Damerel High School in Devonport - located in a former prison. Shona passed 15 O levels and five A Levels (art, biology geography, geology and speech & drama) and secured a place at Durham University where she read for a BSc in Geography, specialising in climate and meteorology, soil science, pollen analysis and glaciation. She was tutored by famous naturalist, Dr David Bellamy for botany - her subsidiary subject. The landscape of the North East at the time inspired the subject for her dissertation – The Ecology of Coal Waste Heaps in Co Durham!

On leaving university, Shona entered the media world as a sub-editor, working on many well-known titles, such as Chat, Bella, Woman, Prima and Mizz.

However, politics was becoming an ever-important draw for Shona and she was selected to stand for election to Wandsworth Council in London, where she won her seat and retained it the second time she stood – doubling her majority. She was acknowledged as a hard-working councillor. In 1994, recognising this hard work, Labour Party members put Shona’s name forward to be considered for fighting parliamentary elections. In early 1995, Shona won the selection to be the Labour candidate in the key marginal of Cleethorpes. She won the seat for Labour in 1997 and retained it in both 2001 and 2005.

In Parliament in 1997, Shona was chosen to sit on the influential Standards and Privileges Committee. One of the most notorious cases that the committee dealt with was that of Neil Hamilton.

Shona was then promoted to be a Parliamentary Private Secretary. She first worked with Northern Ireland Security Minister, Adam Ingram, and then for his successor, Jane Kennedy. As part of this job, had to be briefed by the Intelligence Services when threatened by terrorists. Then followed a stint at the Home Office when David Blunkett was Home Secretary. Next came a position at the Department of Trade and Industry with Alun Michael. Her tour of Government Departments then lead her to Health where Shona worked with Public Health Minister, Caroline Flint.

When Gordon Brown become Prime Minister, Shona stood down as a PPS - one of the first resignations of his premiership.

She was then elected to serve on the Paraliamentary Committee - one of six senior backbench MPs who meet the Prime Minister once a week to raise issues of concern with him.

In Parliament, Shona also took on the responsibility for running the All Party Group on Fireworks. This cross-party group’s purpose was to see the laws in the misuse of fireworks tightened up and lead to the Fireworks Bill becoming law.

As appropriate for the daughter of a chef and grand-daughter of a school cook, Shona food and cooking and has campaigned to promote the best of British food as well as traditional recipes. She also enjoys cycling (she has a Falcon Black Diamond which was hand-made in Brigg) and once cycled from Bergen in Norway to the islands of Lofoten - north of the Arctic circle. 

Shona finds gardening a great way to wind down, but the lack of time means a reliance on hardy, drought-tolerant perennials these days!

She is a keen family historian. She is currently researching the war memorial of the constituency and has uncovered many intruiging personal stories. Her work on the Barton memorials featured in an exhibition about the First World War at Baysgarth Museum.

Given the unusual surname, many people contact Shona about family history. She is happy to share the information she has unearthed about the McIsaacs with other people with the same surname. She has also researched the names: Williamson, Milloy, Moyes and McGlary. If interested, please write to Shona c/o House of Commons, Westminster London SW1A 0AA. Alternatively email her on mcisaacs@parliament.uk.

Shona is married to Peter - they have been together for more than 20 years - and they live in central Cleethorpes, not too far from St Peter's Avenue and the beach. 

Shona in Parliament 

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