Born and brought up in the  ex-mining village of Kelty, Fife, Ms. Claire Baker was first elected to the Scottish Parliament representing the Mid-Scotland and Fife region in 2007.  She is Scottish Labour spokesperson for Drugs Policy, having previous held shadow cabinet posts in Justice; Culture and External Affairs; and Environment and Rural Affairs.

She is Convener of the Scottish Parliament’s Economy and Fair Work Committee and a Member of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body.  Before being elected, Claire worked in the voluntary sector and trade union movement. A graduate of Edinburgh and Glasgow Universities, she is a published author on the American poet Sylvia Plath.