Helen Liddell, High Commissioner

The Rt Hon Mrs Helen Lawrie Liddell

6 December 1950

Helen Liddell arrived in Australia to take up her position as British High Commissioner, on July 8 2005 to news of the London bombings.  A former Cabinet Minister, she replaced Sir Alastair Goodlad.

Elected to the House of Commons in 1994 for the Scottish constituency previously held by the late Labour Leader John Smith, she began her ministerial career with Labour's election to Government in 1997.

She served as Economic Secretary to the Treasury from 1997 to 1998, Deputy Secretary of State for Scotland and Minister for Education from 1998-1999 and was briefly a Transport Minister and Minister of State to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott  in 1999, before becoming Minister of State for Energy and Competitiveness in Europe, a post she held until joining the Cabinet in 2001 when she became the first  woman Secretary of State for Scotland.  She left the Cabinet in 2003 and it was announced shortly afterwards that she would become British High Commissioner to Australia. She left Parliament in May 2005.

An economist by profession, on leaving Strathclyde University in 1971, she began work as Head of the Economic Department of the Scottish Trades Union Congress where she remained until 1976, leaving as Assistant Secretary to become the Economic Correspondent of BBC Scotland.

In 1977 she became General Secretary of the Labour Party in Scotland, a post she held until she left to complete her first novel in 1988, however shortly afterwards she accepted the post of Director, Personnel and Public Affairs of the Scottish Daily Record and Sunday Mail Ltd.

In 1993 she became Chief Executive of Business Ventures,  a post she retained until her unexpected election to Parliament in  1994.

Her novel "Elite" was published in 1990.

Appointed Privy Councillor in 1998, she is also an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Strathclyde.

She is joined in Australia by her husband Dr Alistair Liddell.  Her son and daughter remain in the UK.

Mrs Liddell's previous positions include:

1971 - 1975  Head, Economic Department, Scottish TUC
1975 - 1976  Assistant Secretary, Scottish TUC
1976 - 1977  Economic Correspondent, BBC Scotland
1977 - 1988  General Secretary, The Labour Party in Scotland
1988 - 1991  Director, Personnel and Public Affairs, Scottish Daily Record and Sunday Mail Ltd
1991 - 1992  Director, Public and Corporate Affairs Scottish Daily Record and Sunday Mail Ltd
1993 - 1994  Chief Executive, Business Ventures
1994 - 1997  Member of Parliament for Monklands East
1997 -          Member of Parliament for Airdrie and Shotts
1997 - 1998  Economic Secretary to the Treasury
1998 - 1999  Deputy Secretary of State for Scotland and Minister for Education
1999 -          Minister for Transport
1999 - 2001  Minister of State for Energy and Competitiveness in Europe, Department of Trade and Industry
2001 - 2003  Secretary of State for Scotland