Corri Wilson

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Corri Wilson

| image = Corri Wilson MP.jpg

| office = {{nowrap|Director of Operations of the Alba Party{{efn|The position was known as General Secretary between February and April 2025.}}}}

| leader = Kenny MacAskill

| term_start = 27 February 2025

| term_end =

| predecessor = Christopher McEleny

| successor =

| office1 = Member of Parliament
for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock

| term_start1 = 7 May 2015

| term_end1 = 3 May 2017

| predecessor1 = Sandra Osborne

| successor1 = Bill Grant

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1965|4|11|df=y}}

| birth_place = Ayr, Scotland

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = SNP (2012–2021)
Alba (2021–){{Cite web|title=MP Kenny MacAskill quits SNP to join Alex Salmond's Alba Party|url=https://www.thenational.scot/news/19192300.mp-kenny-macaskill-quits-snp-join-alex-salmonds-alba-party/|access-date=27 March 2021|website=The National|date=27 March 2021 |language=en}}

| alma_mater = University of the West of Scotland

| status =

}}

Corraine Wilson (born 11 April 1965) is a Scottish politician and former civil servant, serving as Director of Operations for the Alba Party since February 2025.

Previously a member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Wilson was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock from 2015 to 2017.

Early life

Wilson worked in the Civil Service for 20 years after leaving school. She went on to study Psychology at the University of the West of Scotland and set up her own business and events company called "Caledonii Resources" in April 2012 just before being elected to serve as a Councillor in Ayr East in the 2012 South Ayrshire Council election.{{cite web|url=https://www.snp.org/corri_wilson|title=Corri Wilson|publisher=|access-date=31 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609003052/https://www.snp.org/corri_wilson|archive-date=9 June 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/SC420971|title=CALEDONII RESOURCES LTD – Overview (free company information from Companies House)|website=beta.companieshouse.gov.uk|access-date=31 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830193731/https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/SC420971|archive-date=30 August 2017|url-status=live}}

Political career

Wilson became a South Ayrshire Councillor in the 2012 local elections for the ward of Ayr East.{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/general-election-snp-takes-ayrshire-5661839 |title=General Election: SNP takes Ayrshire on historic night for Scottish politics |first=Stuart |last=Wilson |work=Daily Record |date=8 May 2015 |accessdate=10 May 2015}} She was elected to the British Parliament in the 2015 general election.{{cite news|url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/2334493|title=List of Members returned to Parliament at the General Election 2015 Scotland|work=The Edinburgh Gazette|date=15 May 2015|accessdate=3 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401063220/https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/2334493|archive-date=1 April 2019|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=Ayr, Carrick & Cumnock Parliamentary constituency|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/S14000006|website=Election 2015 Results|publisher=BBC|accessdate=8 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150508042536/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/S14000006|archive-date=8 May 2015|url-status=live}}

From June 2015 until August 2016, she was one of 125 MPs who employed a member of their family: employing her son Kieran as a caseworker/personal assistant.{{Cite web |url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/25401/corri_wilson/ayr,_carrick_and_cumnock#register |title="Family members employed and paid from parliamentary expenses" |access-date=13 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013151902/https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/25401/corri_wilson/ayr,_carrick_and_cumnock#register |archive-date=13 October 2016 |url-status=live }}{{cite news|last1=Mason|first1=Rowena|title=Keeping it in the family: new MPs continue to hire relatives as staff|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jun/29/mps-continue-hire-relatives-as-staff|accessdate=21 July 2015|work=The Guardian|date=29 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180810142533/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jun/29/mps-continue-hire-relatives-as-staff|archive-date=10 August 2018|url-status=live}} From 15 September 2016, she had employed her daughter Shannon as a caseworker/personal assistant, which was allowed under IPSA rules up until the election in June 2017.{{cite web|url=http://www.theipsa.org.uk/|title=Home – IPSA|website=IPSA|access-date=10 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180416130637/http://www.theipsa.org.uk/|archive-date=16 April 2018|url-status=live}}

From the period of 1 June 2015 to 31 May 2016, the statement, Wilson claimed a total of £94,545.41 in public expenses, which was the 7th highest amount of any MP in the United Kingdom that year.'http://www.mpsexpenses.info/#!/all {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161014035217/http://www.mpsexpenses.info/#!/all |date=14 October 2016 }} "MP's Expenses – Highest Claiming MPs"'

In 2016, Wilson was appointed as disabilities spokesperson for the SNP. During Wilson's time on the Welfare Reform and Work Bill she argued against the benefit cap, benefit sanctions and the removal of poverty targets.{{cite web|url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/search/MemberContributions?house=Commons&memberId=4448&page=3|title=Corri Wilson – Contributions – Hansard|website=hansard.parliament.uk|access-date=10 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180412001439/https://hansard.parliament.uk/search/MemberContributions?house=Commons&memberId=4448&page=3|archive-date=12 April 2018|url-status=live}} Wilson campaigned in favour of the United Kingdom remaining a member of the European Union at the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, then later voted against the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill 2017.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38835101|title=Brexit vote: How did your MP vote on the bill?|date=9 February 2017|publisher=BBC News|access-date=21 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012034441/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38835101|archive-date=12 October 2018|url-status=live}}

During her time in office, Wilson never voted against her party and attended 277 of 467 votes (59.3%) – well below average amongst MPs.{{cite web|url=https://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpn=Corri%20Wilson&display=summary|title=Voting Record — Corri Wilson MP, Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock (25401)|publisher=Public Whip|accessdate=28 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181229031738/https://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpn=Corri%20Wilson&display=summary|archive-date=29 December 2018|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/25401/corri_wilson/ayr%2C_carrick_and_cumnock|title=Corri Wilson, Former Scottish National party MP for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock|publisher=TheyWorkForYou|accessdate=28 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181229031444/https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/25401/corri_wilson/ayr%2C_carrick_and_cumnock|archive-date=29 December 2018|url-status=live}}

She stood for re-election at the 2017 UK general election, but lost to Conservative Bill Grant on a 17.5% swing, with Grant overturning Wilson's 15,137 vote lead over the Conservatives to gain the constituency with a 2,774 vote majority.{{cite news|last=Massie|first=Alex|title=Election 2017: Ayr set trend on extraordinary night|date=10 June 2017|work=The Times|language=en|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/election-2017-ayr-set-trend-on-extraordinary-night-wb7vgrq0q|access-date=18 July 2021|issn=0140-0460}}

On 27 March 2021, Wilson announced that she had left the SNP, and had joined the Alba Party, at the party's campaign launch for the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.

Wilson was the second-placed candidate on the party list for the South Scotland region, though she was unsuccessful, as were the other Alba candidates in that election.

She stood in Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock at the 2024 general election, receiving 1.2% of the vote.

=Controversies=

In 2016, Wilson and Chic Brodie, an SNP MSP representing the South Scotland electoral region at the Scottish Parliament, faced controversy over a public expenses scandal, with Chic Brodie transferring £87,616 of public expenses into Corri Wilson's Caledonii Resources for "outsourced constituency work" after her election as councillor to the Ayr East ward in 2012, with some £20,000 being transferred during the Scottish independence referendum campaign in 2014 and a further £20,000 being transferred during the 2015 UK general election campaign, well in excess of Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority guidelines. The expenses were not recorded within Corri Wilson's Register of Members' Interests. Caledonii Resources was later dissolved in May 2017.{{cite news |url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/former-snp-msp-chic-brodie-rejects-claims-over-expenses-1-4083852 |title=Former SNP MSP Chic Brodie rejects claims over expenses |first=Scott |last=Macnab |work=The Scotsman |publisher=Johnston Press |date=28 March 2016 |accessdate=29 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129210533/http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/former-snp-msp-chic-brodie-rejects-claims-over-expenses-1-4083852 |archive-date=29 November 2016 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/03/27/snp-expense-row-over-87000-milked-from-public-purse/ |title=SNP expense row over £87,000 'milked from public purse' |first=Andrew |last=Gilligan |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=27 March 2016 |accessdate=29 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129162140/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/03/27/snp-expense-row-over-87000-milked-from-public-purse/ |archive-date=29 November 2016 |url-status=live }}

Notes

References

External links

[http://www.snp.org/corri_wilson profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073443/http://www.snp.org/corri_wilson |date=4 March 2016 }} on SNP website
{{Twitter}}

{{UK MP links

| parliament = corri-wilson/4448

| hansard =

| hansardcurr =

| guardian =

| publicwhip = Corri_Wilson&mpc=Ayr%2C_Carrick_and_Cumnock&house=commons

| theywork = 25401/corri_wilson/ayr,_carrick_and_cumnock

| record =

| bbc = 122034.stm

| journalisted =

}}

{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament
for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock|years=2015–2017}}