Sandra Osborne

Sandra Currie Osborne (née Clark, born 23 February 1956) is a Scottish Labour politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock from 2005 to 2015. She was first elected in 1997, and resigned from a government job in 2003 over the Iraq War. She was a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee from 2005–10 and again from 2013. She was a member of the Defence Select Committee 2010-13 and is a member of the Council of Europe.

Before Parliament

Osborne was born and brought up in Ferguslie Park, Paisley. She was educated at Camphill Secondary School in Paisley. She later attended evening classes before going on to Jordanhill College where she gained the Diploma in Community Education. After working as a community worker in Glasgow she moved to Ayrshire, where she spent 14 years as a counsellor with Kilmarnock Women's Aid. During that time she also studied part-time at Strathclyde University where she graduated Master of Science in Equality and Discrimination. In 1997 she was one of the shortlisted finalists in the Scottish Woman of the Year Awards (Glasgow Evening Times) nominated for her work with abused women.