Mercedes Villalba

Mercedes Villalba
MSP
Affirming in 2021
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for North East Scotland
(1 of 7 Regional MSPs)
Incumbent
Assumed office
8 May 2021
Shadow Minister for Environment and Biodiversity
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 June 2021
Personal details
Born1989 (age 34–35)
Bristol, England
Political partyScottish Labour

Mercedes Beatrice M. Villalba (born 1989) is a Scottish Labour politician who has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for North East Scotland since May 2021.

Background

Villalba was born in 1989,[1] and is originally from Bristol, England. She settled in Dundee and was a shop steward with the Universities and Colleges Union (UCU).[2]

Political career

On 7 May 2021 she was unsuccessful as Labour's candidate for Dundee City West,[3] but the following day was elected as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) through the North East Scotland list.[4] She was appointed as Shadow Minister for Environment and Biodiversity in June 2021.[5]

In 2022, she called for the Labour whip to be restored to Jeremy Corbyn after having it suspended for failing to retract his remarks in response to the EHRC report into anti-Semitism in the Labour Party, as demanded by Keir Starmer and David Evans.[6]

Political beliefs

She is an outspoken critic of the British royal family, and has called for its abolition.[7][8]

On 6 July 2021, Villalba submitted a motion to demand an end to the US embargo on Cuba.[9]

In October 2023, just after the Hamas attack on Israel, Villalba expressed her position on the Palestine-Israel conflict through social media. She tweeted that she perceives the "systematic oppression and domination of Palestinians by the Israeli government" as a "crime against humanity", advocating for an end to the occupation of Palestine as a precondition for peace and justice.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Villalba, Mercedes Beatrice M." FreeBMD. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  2. ^ McCall, Chris (8 May 2021). "Who are Scotland's new MSPs? Meet the new boys and girls off to Holyrood for first time". Daily Record. Glasgow. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Scotland Election 2021 > Dundee City West". BBC News. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Scotland Election 2021 > North East Scotland". BBC News. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  5. ^ Davidson, Peter (31 May 2021). "Scottish Labour announce shadow team as Anas Sarwar focuses on national recovery". Daily Record. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  6. ^ "Labour suspends Jeremy Corbyn over anti-Semitism report". BBC News. 29 October 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  7. ^ Webster, Laura (1 August 2021). "Tories outraged as Labour MSP calls for abolition of the monarchy". The National.
  8. ^ Percival, Richard (2 August 2021). "'Extreme' Scottish politician shamed for 'radical' demand to 'abolish the monarchy'". Daily Express.
  9. ^ "UN General Assembly Demands an End to US Embargo on Cuba". Scottish Parliament. 6 July 2021. Motion ref. S6M-00598.
  10. ^ Mercedes Villalba MSP [@LabourMercedes] (7 October 2023). "Mercedes Villalba MSP on Palestine-Israel Conflict". Twitter. Retrieved 11 October 2023.


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