Ernie Ross
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Ernest Ross (27 July 1942 – 17 October 2021) was a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Dundee West from 1979 to 2005. He was a member of the Labour Party.
Early life
Ross was born in Dundee, Scotland, on 27 July 1942.<ref name="Herald obit">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Who's Who</ref> Both his parents were employed by National Cash Register. He completed his primary education at St Joseph's and St Mary's primary schools before attending St John's Roman Catholic High School.<ref name="Herald obit" /> After graduating, he first worked as an engineer in a shipyard, then as a senior quality control engineer at Timex.<ref name=Criddle>Template:Cite book</ref> He joined the Labour Party in 1973.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Political career
Ross was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Dundee West in the 1979 general election, succeeding Peter Doig.<ref name="UKP">Template:Cite web</ref> He supported Tony Benn in the 1981 Labour Party deputy leadership election.<ref name="Herald obit" /> Ross was re-elected five times until his retirement at the 2005 general election,<ref name="UKP" /> when he was succeeded by Jim McGovern.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Ross sat on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee from July 1997 to March 1999, the Standards and Privileges Committee from October 1996 to March 1997, and the Education & Employment Committee from November 1995 to March 1997. He also served on the Court of Referees from June 1987 to May 2005.<ref name="UKP" /> While serving on the foreign affairs committee in 1999, he leaked a draft report to foreign secretary Robin Cook concerning the Sandline affair and Sierra Leone. Cook then erroneously mentioned the findings in interviews ahead of the publication of the report.<ref name="Herald obit" /> This led to Ross's resignation from the committee and suspension from the House of Commons for ten days.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was consequently dubbed "the plumber", in reference to his ability to "fix leaks".<ref name=Criddle />
Ross was an ardent supporter of Palestinian nationalism, leading to him being nicknamed "the MP for Nablus West".<ref name=Criddle /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Times obit">Template:Cite news</ref> He backed the decision by Dundee City Council in 1980 to twin the city with Nablus.<ref name="Herald obit" /> In April of the following year, he took part in a good-will delegation from Dundee to visit Nablus and Kuwait City.<ref name="Times obit" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Personal life
Ross married Jane Moad in 1964. They remained married until his death. Together, they had three children: Stephen, Ali and Karen. He had cancer while serving his first term in Parliament but survived after undergoing keyhole surgery by Alfred Cuschieri.<ref name="Herald obit" />
Ross died on 17 October 2021 in Dundee. He was 79 years old.<ref name="Herald obit" /><ref name="BBC obit">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
References
General sources
External links
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