Lisa Cameron (born 8 April 1972) is a Scottish Conservative politician and former consultant clinical psychologist.
Cameron has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow since winning the seat at the 2015 general election. She was re-elected at the 2017 and 2019 general elections for the Scottish National Party (SNP), but crossed the floor to the Scottish Conservatives in October 2023.
Early life and career
Lisa Cameron was born on 8 April 1972 in Glasgow, Scotland, and grew up at Westwood, East Kilbride. She was educated at South Park Primary School, East Milton Primary School and Duncanrig Secondary School, before going up to read Psychology at the University of Strathclyde where she graduated as BSc. Cameron pursued further studies in Psychology and Health at the University of Stirling receiving an MSc. degree before taking a DClinPsy. degree from the University of Glasgow. After university, Cameron specialised in forensic and clinical psychology. She worked as a consultant at the State Hospital, as a clinical psychologist in the NHS and as an assessor for the Scottish Risk Management Authority.
Cameron voted in favour of Scottish independence at the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. After the referendum results were announced, in which Scotland voted to remain part of the United Kingdom; she joined the Scottish National Party (SNP). Cameron has also been a trade union representative for Unite for more than a decade.
Parliamentary career
2015 Parliament
Cameron was elected as an SNP MP for the East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow seat at the 2015 UK general election. The seat and its predecessor, East Kilbride, had been won by successive Labour Party candidates since 1974.
Cameron is the first clinical psychologist to be elected as an MP to the House of Commons. During the 2015–17 Parliament, Cameron was a member of the International Development Committee and the International Development Sub-Committee on the Work of the Independent Commission for Aid Impact.
On 5 January 2016, the Scottish Daily Mail published a story highlighting that Cameron owned five ex-council houses (managed by her husband) despite campaigning against the sale of council houses at the 2015 general election. She responded by stating that she had been transparent in her property dealings and had declared ownership of the properties per parliamentary rules in her register of interests. Cameron made a complaint about the article to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) which was not upheld.
2017 Parliament
Cameron retained her seat at the 2017 snap general election with 21,023 votes and both a reduced vote share and a majority of 3,866 votes. Following the election, Cameron was elected to be part of the Health Select Committee and the Commons Reference Group on Representation and Inclusion. She was the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) on Health, Chile, Disability, Dog Advisory Welfare, Psychology, Textile and Fashion and co-chair of the APPG on New Towns. She was also a Vice-Chair on the Pro-Life APPG.
In 2017, Cameron launched the successful Lucy's Law campaign in the House of Commons against puppy farming which became statute in 2019. In 2018, Cameron led the Ivory Bill for the SNP through the House of Commons.
In 2019, Cameron described receiving abusive messages and threats with deselection after voting against legalising abortion in Northern Ireland in a conscience vote. An SNP assessor reportedly said he would recommend anyone with these views should have their application rejected to be a candidate and she should "quit her position as an elected representative."
In September 2019, Cameron's local SNP branch passed a motion which criticised the National Executive Committee’s decision “to impose Dr Lisa Cameron as the party's candidate in the forthcoming General Election for the second time". Despite this, Cameron was reselected.
2019 Parliament
Cameron was returned to Parliament at the 2019 general election with a majority 13,322.
On 29 June 2020, Cameron was the only SNP MP to vote on a motion to introduce a Bill to restrict anti-abortion demonstrations near abortion clinics in England. She voted against the motion, submitted on her behalf by the SNP Chief Whip. Cameron claimed to receive over 3,000 "thank you notes" from people across Scotland supporting her anti-abortion stance and claiming to give them "a voice in parliament" Following this, she received a death threat and said "freedom of religious belief appears to be being continually eroded".