Clarice Ashbridge

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Heather Whitmore
Conservative MP
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Clarice Ashbridge

Post by Heather Whitmore »

Name: Clarice Ashbridge
Avatar: Kelly Macdonald
Age: 40 (born 25th December 1974)
Sex: Female
Ethnicity: White British
Marital Status: Married, two children

Party: Scottish Conservative and Unionist (1998 - present)
Liberal Democrats (1993 - 1998)
Political Outlook: Moderate, unionist
Constituency: Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale
Year Elected: 2010

Education: BSc Psychology, University of Glasgow
DClinPsy Clinical Psychology, University of Glasgow
Career: Psychologist
Political Career: MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale (2010 - present)


Clarissa Grace Ashbridge-Stuart, known professionally as Clarice Ashbridge, is a British politician and former psychologist who has served as Member of Parliament for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale since the 2010 general election.

Born on Christmas Day 1974 in Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, Ashbridge was the firstborn child of James Ashbridge, a former Royal Navy officer and oil executive at Occidental Petroleum, and former teacher Laura Ashbridge (nee Cameron). Raised in Aberdeen until the age of five, with the arrival of younger twin siblings the family moved to a farm property in rural Aberdeenshire in 1979. Ashbridge was educated at the independent Robert Gordon’s College in Aberdeen until the age of 12, when she was moved to Edinburgh with her mother and siblings to shelter her from press attention as her father’s company became the centre of attention following the Piper Alpha disaster. She completed her high school education at St George’s School for Girls, graduating in 1992, attending the University of Glasgow to study psychology.

Ashbridge was popular at university amongst her peers, and was nicknamed Clarice after Jodie Foster’s character in “Silence of the Lambs” due to her interest in forensic psychology. A member of the netball team and a keen tennis player, Ashbridge was also a member of the Liberal Democrats, and stood as a council candidate in Partick in 1995. She stood for selection in 1996 to become the party’s candidate for Glasgow Kelvin in 1997, but was unsuccessful. She campaigned for the party in the 1997 general election, but soon became dissatisfied with what she called the Lib Dems “cosiness” with Tony Blair’s Labour government, and in 1998 joined the Conservatives after a chance meeting with Ken Clarke in London inspired her to do so.

Having lost interest in forensic psychology, Ashbridge completed her degree in clinical psychology in 1999, becoming an NHS psychologist. She worked in Dykebar Hospital in Paisley from 1999 to 2001, before moving to Leverndale Hospital where she remained until 2006 when she quit to move with her husband and children to Dumfriesshire. In 2006, she was adopted as the Conservative candidate for Dumfries and a candidate on the regional list for the 2007 Scottish election. Despite being unsuccessful in the constituency ballot, she was returned as the sole regional Conservative MSP for the region. She was a strong supporter of Annabel Goldie’s leadership of the Scottish Conservatives, and in 2008 was appointed the Tory spokesperson fro Culture, Europe and External Relations.

In late 2009, Ashbridge was chosen as the Conservative candidate for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale over incumbent MP and Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland David Mundell, a shocking result that brought her to the attention of those with an interest in Conservative politics. She was elected as his successor in 2010, doubling Mundell’s majority and becoming Scotland’s sole Tory MP. Consequently, after only three weeks in Parliament and no government experience, she became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, working alongside the Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for five years. She took a leading role in the No campaign in 2014, and in 2015 was narrowly re-elected with a vastly reduced majority. She remains as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State.

Ashbridge met English-born Scottish sports journalist Jack Stuart at university when he was a writer for student newspaper the Glasgow Guardian. After beginning a relationship in 1994, their first child, Louise, was born in 1999. The couple married in 2001, and had a second child, Daniel, in 2005. Ashbridge has two twin siblings, Phillip and Rebecca (b. 1979). Phillip has followed in their father’s footsteps and works in the oil industry in Aberdeen, whilst his twin sister is a visual artist. Ashbridge is a fan of football and tennis, and is known to be a supporter of Rangers Football Club and Everton. She enjoys collecting records, climbing hills, and sewing in her spare time.
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