Carol Monaghan

Carol Monaghan, the SNP’s education, armed forces and veterans spokesperson, has represented the parliamentary constituency of Glasgow North West since 2015. She was re-elected in 2017 with the largest majority in Scotland, and saw it increase once again in 2019. A former secondary school teacher and graduate in laser optics and optoelectronics, Monaghan is the only Scottish MP to sit on the House of Commons science and technology committee. She is also the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on photonics and vice-chair of the APPG on surgical mesh implants. With her focus on supporting armed forces personnel, Monaghan has railed against a pay freeze imposed on them, calling for an “armed forces representative body” to support them. She has also led parliamentary attempts to raise awareness and resource allocation to people with ME. Monaghan decided to stand for parliament following the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence. In an interview on the Institute of Physics website, she said of the referendum, “I’m afraid it’s one of these things where, if you really believe in something as much as many of us did, you’re going to keep working for it.”