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 About Eleanor 

Mrs Eleanor Laing has been the Member of Parliament for Epping Forest since 1997. She lives near Epping with her son, Matthew, who was born one week after the 2001 general election.

Born in Paisley in 1958, Eleanor graduated BA LLB from Edinburgh University in 1982. She was the first woman to be elected President of Edinburgh University Union. She practised law in Edinburgh, in the City of London and in industry between 1983 and 1989.

Eleanor was elected as Conservative MP for Epping Forest in May 1997 and re-elected with an increased majority in June 2001.

In the 1987 election, Eleanor was the Conservative candidate in the safe Labour seat of Paisley North. She became Special Adviser to the Rt Hon John MacGregor MP in 1989 when he was Secretary of State for Education and remained his Special Adviser when he was Leader of the House of Commons (1990-92) and Secretary of State for Transport (1992-94).

Her particular political interests are education, transport, the economy and the constitution. She served as a member of the Environment, Transport and the Regions Select Committee and the Education and Employment Select Committee.

In February 1999, she was promoted to the post of Opposition Whip and in July 2000 she became a Frontbench Spokesman for Constitutional Affairs.

{mosimage}After the 2001 General Election, she was appointed as Frontbench Spokesman for Education and Skills. From June to November 2003, she was made Shadow Minister for Children. Since March 2004, she has served as the Shadow Minister for Women & Equality. She has also previously been the Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland.

In July 2007, Eleanor was appointed as Shadow Minister for Justice.   

The constituency of Epping Forest comprises Loughton, Epping, Waltham Abbey, Chigwell, Buckhurst Hill, Theydon Bois, North Weald, the surrounding villages and the ancient Forest itself.

For more news and information from Eleanor, please visit www.eleanorlaing.com  

Open Letter

Dear Resident,
I am very sorry that many people here in Epping Forest will have been concerned and upset about the allegations in Saturdays Daily Telegraph that I have acted wrongly by not paying Capital Gains Tax when I sold my Westminster flat in August 2008.
I have always been scrupulous about the way in which I have carried out my responsibilities as a public servant in spending taxpayers' money and I deeply hurt by this attack on my integrity.

I would have paid the tax if it had been due, but it was not due. By last summer the Westminster flat had, in practical terms become my main home and therefore, as HMRC rules designate, Capital Gains Tax was not payable when i sold it. My house in Theydon Boys, for which I have never claimed a penny of taxpayers' money will be liable for Capital Gains Tax when it is eventually sold.

The criticism occurs because, when I first became an MP, I designated the flat as my second home and I did not think of changing that designation when my circumstances changed following the birth of my son and then my divorce. I had, however, continued to claim the Parliamentary Additional Costs allowance to help pay the mortgage on the flat. I now realise that this is inconsistent.
I had not planned to sell the flat but financial circumstances following my divorce made this necessary and I used the proceeds of the sale to buy a smaller flat in the same block. Since I moved to the smaller flat in August 2008 I have obviously not claimed any mortgage interest from the Additional Cost allowance. I respect the fact that many people who live in Epping Forest travel daily to London while I am fortunate to have a London base as well as a constituency base. From now on i will pay the costs of my flat, with no help from the taxpayer.

I could explain in detail the legal position and why I have broke no rules, but I fully appreciate that many people are fed up with that approach. I care far more about my integrity than the money. I am uncomfortable with the thought that I may have used tax payers' money in a way that is questionable. I have, therefore decided voluntarily to send £25,000 of taxpayers' money back to the House of Commons authorities. This is a considerable amount of money so i am talking to my bank about obtaining a loan to enable me to pay it immediately.

I wholeheartedly support David Cameron's decisive actions to make the system open and clear. I submitted all my expenses claims to the Conservative Party Scrutiny Committee when it was first set up some weeks ago and I will do whatever they require of me when they have considered the matter.
I understand why there is public anger over the whole issue of MP's expenses. The system is dreadful. I have spent my whole working life trying to bring our democratic system into the modern age and to reform Parliament so that it broadly reflects the people it represents. I continue that work daily as Shadow Minister for Justice.
All politicians have a hard task ahead to win back the confidence and to earn the respect of the country. My work on behalf of the people of Epping Forest will continue to be my first priority.
I am very sorry all of this has happened but I hope that I have been able to set the record straight.
Eleanor.

Expenses

Many questions have been asked about Eleanor's Expenses. Click here

Cameron Letter

David Cameron supports our MP, see his letter here. David Cameron's Support.

MP's Website

Eleanor Laings Westminster Website Here.and read about the hard work she does in Westminster and around the constituency.

I'm humbled by the support that all these really good people have shown in me that they bothered to come to the meeting tonight.Mrs Laing admitted she had faced criticism at the meeting, but said the majority of speakers were in support of her. She added: We had a stirring discussion of all aspects of it. But at the end of the meeting even those who spoke against me came to shake my hand. Mrs Laing said she hoped the verdict would draw a line under controversy surrounding her expenses. She said: It's the end of it now. We have a serious fight on our hands now against Labour and the Lib Dems at the next election and that's what we as a party need to focus on now. Mrs Laing added that she would have a small glass of wine to celebrate.

Gypsies update

I note with interest today's publication of guidelines to National Health Service practitioners, advising them to give preferential treatment to members of the gypsy and traveller community, as part of the Primary Care Service Framework. I would be grateful if you could explain in more detail how this guidance will work in practice when it is being implemented by Primary Care Trusts.

There is already considerable pressure on GPs and my local hospital as well as a severe shortage of dentists in the Epping Forest district. In addition the Government is ordering Epping Forest district to provide 39 new pitches for gypsies and travellers between now and 2011. Indeed, the district is required to provide more sites (44.7 per 1000 new dwellings) in relation to new dwellings than any other local authority in the East of England. This disproportionate requirement would have put impossible pressure on the infrastructure of the area even before the publication of today’s guidelines. 

On average there are 2 caravans per pitch, which could amount to up to 500 gypsies and travellers moving into Epping Forest district, all of whom would have preferential access to local health services under these new guidelines. This would create an unbearable strain on local amenities which are already struggling to cope with the everyday needs of my constituents.

Will you please confirm what additional resources will be made available to Epping Forest’s health services to enable them to carry out the extra statutory responsibilities that your Government imposes upon them.

We all agree that gypsies and travellers must be treated equally in accessing NHS services, but attempts to create a balanced and integrated society, including within it gypsies and travellers, will be damaged if local people see their own families suffer as a result of the Government giving priority to gypsies and travellers.

Holocaust Day

EPPING Forest MP Eleanor Laing has pledged her commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day by signing a Book of Commitment. 
January 27 marked the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration and extermination camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau.

To mark the date, the Holocaust Educational Trust placed a Book of Commitment in the House of Commons to give MPs the opportunity to remember those persecuted and murdered during the Holocaust - and to support a ‘Legacy of Hope’, learning from survivors’ experiences to help create a future free from hatred and prejudice.

Mrs Laing paid tribute to those who survived the Holocaust and have since dedicated their lives to educating younger generations about the dangers of allowing persecution and intolerance to take hold in society. 
Mrs Laing said:

Holocaust survivors are extraordinary people. We have a duty to them to pass on the lessons of the Holocaust to future generations. Holocaust Memorial Day gives us an opportunity to reflect on the legacy of Holocaust Survivors, to commemorate the millions who died under Hitler’s regime and to commit to a future free from racism and discrimination.

Remeberence Day

Eleanor Laing attended the Remembrance Day Services at Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Loughton and Epping yesterday.