Kirsty McNeill MP
Biography
Kirsty McNeill is the Scottish Labour and Co-operative MP for Midlothian and was appointed Minister of State for International Development in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office on 21 July 2026. She was previously Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland in the Scotland Office between 9 July 2024 and 21 July 2026.
Career before politics
Immediately before her election to Parliament, Kirsty was an Executive Director at Save the Children, leading a team of 160 which worked on global health, nutrition, hunger, education and conflict and delivered practical support to families across the UK.
Between 2007 and 2011 she was an advisor to Gordon Brown, working first with him in Downing Street when he was prime minister and then with Gordon and his wife Sarah on their charitable and social change projects after office.
She is a former member of the European Council on Foreign Relations and has extensive non-executive experience having chaired IPPR, the Civic Power Fund, Larger Us and the advisory board of Our Scottish Future. She is a former board member of The Labour Climate and Environment Forum, The Climate Coalition, The Holocaust Educational Trust, The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and The Center for Countering Digital Hate.
Kirsty has written for outlets including the Telegraph, Times, Observer, Guardian, New Statesman and Scotsman. She is also the co-author of a Fabian Society pamphlet (Counter Culture: How to resist the culture wars and build 21st century solidarity) and author of chapters in 2 recent books (Raising the Nation and Children’s Experience, Participation and Rights During COVID-19).
Personal life
Kirsty grew up in a family of SNP activists, creating a life-long interest in how to disagree well. Her interest in social justice was spurred by understanding how badly her mum had been failed by the care system, leading to her policy interests in children and young people, class inequality and poverty.
She is a trade unionist and co-operator and a champion of ways to rebuild connection – locally, nationally and globally.
Minister of State for International Development
The Minister of State has responsibility for:
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Africa
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development and humanitarian
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international finance
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climate and energy security