Neale Hanvey

With a 25 year career in the NHS, steadily rising to Divisional Nurse Director for Rare Cancer at The Royal Marsden Hospital, it is no surprise that Neale Hanvey holds a particular interest in Health policy, and indeed he sits on the Health and Social Care Committee. A former councillor and one of 45 openly LGBT MPs, Hanvey is a supporter of the controversial “LGB Alliance” group. His political role models form an eclectic mix: Alex Salmond, John Smith, and Margaret Thatcher. The former SNP leader’s influence needs no explanation; the ex-Labour leader is described by Hanvey as “the best UK Prime Minister we never had” whose “loss was profoundly felt by many”; and the longest serving Prime Minister of the 20th century’s “policies damaged so many lives and communities in my younger years she inspired me to stand up against the craven injustice of greed.” Hanvey unseated Labour’s shadow Scottish secretary at the 2019 general election, taking her Kirkaldy and Cowdenbeath seat by 1,243 votes. Hanvey had a difficult start to his Parliamentary career as the SNP whip was immediately withdrawn on his election for controversial comments involving anti-Semitic tropes. He was deeply apologetic, and was readmitted in May after an appropriate party investigation.