Name Kali Mountford Role British Politician | Nationality British Spouse Ian Leedham | |
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Carol Jean Mountford (née Newton; born 12 January 1954) is a British Labour Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Colne Valley from 1997 until she retired from the House of Commons at the 2010 general election.
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Early life
Mountford was born in Crewe, the daughter of an engine driver, She attended Crewe Grammar School for Girls (became King's Grove High School in the late 1970s and The Oaks Academy in 2016) on Buchan Grove in Crewe. In 1986, whilst working at the Crewe Jobcentre, she stood as the Liberal candidate in a County Council bye-election in Crewe Central ward on 18 September. At Crewe and Alsager College (now the Alsager Campus of Manchester Metropolitan University), she gained a DipHE and a BA in Philosophy, Psychology and Sociology in 1988 as a mature student. Mountford served as a Sheffield City Councillor for four years and worked as a civil servant benefits clerk for twenty years prior to entering Parliament. She was also active in the CPSA (became the PCS in 1998) as a shop steward.
Parliamentary career
Mountford was selected as a Labour candidate through an all-women shortlist. She was first elected at the 1997 general election for Colne Valley and served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Des Browne MP.
She retired from the Commons at the 2010 general election. The Colne Valley seat was then won by the Conservative Party candidate, Jason McCartney.
Controversies
Mountford was suspended from the House of Commons for five working days in 1998 for leaking a Social Security Select Committee report to the government. The House of Commons Standards and Privileges Committee stated that although there were some mitigating circumstances for her behavior, she had in fact "aggravated her original offence by denying responsibility". In addition to the suspension Mountford was forced to apologise for her conduct.
As a result of the controversy Mountford also resigned from the Social Security Select Committee.
Personal life
Mountford married her third husband Ian Leedham in July 1995 in Sheffield; she has a son and daughter.