Editing Irene Adams

{{Short description|Scottish politician}}
{{for|the American politician|Irene Bustamante Adams}}
{{Other people||Catherine Adams (disambiguation){{!}}Catherine Adams}}
<!--as Katherine Adams redirects here-->
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name                = The Baroness Adams<br />of Craigielea
| honorific-suffix    = 
| office1             = [[Member of the House of Lords]]<br />[[Lords Temporal|Lord Temporal]]
| term_start1         = 28 June 2005<br />[[Life peerage]]
| term_end1           = 
| office2             = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] <br /> for [[Paisley North (UK Parliament constituency)|Paisley North]]
| parliament2         = 
| majority2           = 
| term_start2         = 9 November 1990
| term_end2           = 11 April 2005
| predecessor2        = [[Allen Adams]]
| successor2          = ''Constituency abolished''
| birth_name          = Katherine Patricia Irene Adams
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1947|12|27|df=yes}}
| birth_place         = 
| nationality         = [[United Kingdom|British]]
| party               = [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| otherparty          = 
| spouse              = {{marriage|[[Allen Adams]]|1968|1990|end=died}}
}}
'''Katherine Patricia Irene Adams, Baroness Adams of Craigielea''' (born 27 December 1947) is a Scottish [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] peer who served as the [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Paisley North (UK Parliament constituency)|Paisley North]] from 1990 to 2005.

==Early life==
Adams was educated at [[Gleniffer High School|Stanley Green High School]] in Paisley, marrying [[Allen Adams]] in February 1968 with whom she had three children. In 1970 she was on Paisley Town Council and by 1972 was appointed [[Justice of the Peace]]. In 1974, as Katherine Adams, she became a councillor for Stanley Ward of [[Renfrew District Council]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Scottish Regional and District Elections 1974|publisher=Scottish Academic Press|author1=J.M.Bochel|author2=D.T.Denver|url=http://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Scottish-Regional-and-District-Elections-1974.pdf|page=119}}</ref> but failed to be reelected in 1977 following a general collapse in the Labour vote.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Scottish-District-Elections-1977.pdf|page=72|title=Scottish District Elections 1977|publisher=University of Dundee|author1=J.M.Bochel|author2=D.T.Denver}}</ref> In 1979, she stood for and won the Paisley Craigielea seat on [[Strathclyde Regional Council]] succeeding her husband, [[Allen Adams]], who had stepped down from the council following his election as MP. She successfully stood for reelection in 1982,<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Scottish-Regional-Elections-1982.pdf|page=45|title=Scottish Regional Elections 1982|publisher=University of Dundee and University of Lancaster|author1=J.M.Bochel|author2=D.T.Denver}}</ref> retiring in 1986.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Scottish-Regional-Elections-1986.pdf|page=30|title=Scottish Regional Elections 1986|publisher=University of Dundee and University of Lancaster|author1=J.M.Bochel|author2=D.T.Denver}}</ref>

==Parliamentary career==
Her husband, Allen Adams, had been MP for [[Paisley North (UK Parliament constituency)|Paisley North]] until his death on 5 September 1990 at the age of 44 from a brain haemorrhage.<ref name="hera_Betw">{{Cite web| title = Between jellies and a hard place| date = 13 November 1995| work = Herald Scotland| url = http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12063239.Between_jellies_and_a_hard_place/}}</ref> Irene, who had served as his secretary during his time as MP, stood in [[1990 Paisley North by-election|the subsequent by-election]] and despite a swing to the SNP, went on to win with 44% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-information-office/fymp/m12.pdf|title=By-election results: 1987-92|publisher=[[House of Commons Information Office]]|page=14}}</ref> She successfully defended the seat in the next three General Elections.

As an MP, she had been outspoken on the issue of drug abuse and gang violence and received death threats.<ref name=hera_Betw /> Media sources speculated that the 1999 torching of her car was as a result of this work.<ref name="news_BBCN1">{{Cite web| title = MP hit by car blaze| work = BBC News| date = 7 July 1999| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/388334.stm}}</ref> Despite being loyal to the Labour government of the day,<ref name="news_BBCN4">{{Cite web| title = Anger over whisky tax backing| work = BBC News| date = 28 April 2004| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3665017.stm}}</ref> Adams was seen as clearly on its left wing including being against the Iraq war, a [[Eurosceptic]] and one of the more pro-[[History of Scottish devolution|devolution]] Scottish Labour members.<ref name="news_BBCN2">{{Cite web| title = Irene Adams| work = BBC News| date = 17 October 2002 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2123399.stm}}</ref> Within the Labour party, it was alleged that she had been the target of "bad mouthing" by fellow Labour MP [[Tommy Graham (politician)|Tommy Graham]], which lead to Graham's expulsion from the party in 1999.<ref name="news_BBCN3">{{Cite web | title = Expelled MP prepares legal battle | work = BBC News | date = 10 September 1998 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/168370.stm}}</ref>

Adams was persuaded to stand down with the promise of a peerage, in order to allow sitting West Renfrewshire MP [[Jim Sheridan (politician)|Jim Sheridan]] to be selected to fight in the May 2005 election for the newly merged seat of [[Paisley and Renfrewshire North]]. Following the General Election, on 13 May 2005 it was announced that she would be created a [[life peer]] as Baroness Adams of Craigielea, of Craigielea in the County of [[Renfrewshire]], on 28 June.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=57692 |date=4 July 2005|page=8639}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200506/minutes/050718/ldminute.htm|title=House of Lords; Minutes of Proceedings|date=18 July 2005|publisher=[[Parliament of the United Kingdom]]|access-date=2008-09-20}}</ref>

===Peerage and expenses===
Despite no longer being a member of the House of Commons, Adams along with 13 other MPs was the subject of a court case over the release of information into parliamentary expenses.<ref name="bbc._BBC-">{{Cite web| title = Open Secrets: MPs in court today| author = Martin Rosenbaum| work = BBC News| date = 7 May 2008| url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/opensecrets/2008/05/mps_in_court_today_1.html}}</ref> As a result of the widespread expenses scandal within parliament, she was ultimately asked pay over £50,000 which she initially refused to do.<ref name="tele_MPs'">{{Cite web
| title = MPs' expenses: Baroness Adams challenges Commons to sue her| author = Rosa Prince| work = Daily Telegraph | date = 15 October 2010 | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/8007279/MPs-expenses-Baroness-Adams-challenges-Commons-to-sue-her.html}}</ref>

Adams is not noted for being an active member of the House of Lords, and attracted criticism for claiming expenses despite having only made a single contribution, her maiden speech, between May 2005 and October 2010.<ref name="Telegraph" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sundaypost.com/news-views/politics/westminster/anger-at-250-000-expenses-claims-of-lazy-labour-lords-1.710315|title=Anger at £250,000 expenses claims of 'lazy Labour lords'|work=sundaypost.com|date=30 November 2014 |access-date=14 September 2015}}</ref> She currently lives in a converted mill in Paisley.<ref name="Telegraph">{{cite news|title=Baroness Adams: the peer who claimed £200,000 but has spoken only once|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/6852178/Baroness-Adams-the-peer-who-claimed-200000-but-has-spoken-only-once.html|work=Daily Telegraph|date=26 November 2001}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{UK Peer links | parliament = lords/baroness-adams-of-craigielea/631 | hansard = mrs-irene-adams | hansardcurr = 4899 | guardian = 19/irene-adams | publicwhip = Baroness_Adams_of_Craigielea | theywork = baroness_adams_of_craigielea | record = Katherine-Adams/1449 | bbc = 25792.stm | journalisted = }}

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|uk}}
{{s-bef | before=[[Allen Adams]] }}
{{s-ttl
 |title=[[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Paisley North (UK Parliament constituency)|Paisley North]]
 |years=[[1990 Paisley North by-election|1990]] – [[2005 United Kingdom general election|2005]]
}}
{{s-non | reason = Constituency abolished }}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Irene}}
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Scottish Labour MPs]]
[[Category:Labour Party (UK) life peers|Adams of Craigielea]]
[[Category:Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Paisley constituencies]]
[[Category:Scottish Labour councillors]]
[[Category:Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II]]
[[Category:Life peers created by Elizabeth II]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1987–1992]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1992–1997]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1997–2001]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2001–2005]]
[[Category:Politicians from Paisley, Renfrewshire]]
[[Category:20th-century Scottish women politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century Scottish politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Scottish women politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Scottish politicians]]
[[Category:Women councillors in Scotland]]
[[Category:Scottish Eurosceptics]]