Constituency : Taunton 1997-2001
Jackie was the only female amongst the new Liberal Democrat MPs. She took Taunton from the Tories at the second attempt.
Jackie was born in Scotland but the family moved to Wales when she was 10. Her father was a publican. She was educated at Haberdashers School for Girls in Monmouth and the London School of Economics. She worked as a social worker and F,E. lecturer.She was recruited by Paddy Ashdown and became a councillor in Somerset. She improved on the SDP performance in coming second in 1992.
As one of only two women Lib Dem MPs, Jackie received a lot of media attention. She was sceptical about co-operation with Labour which prompted a profile fancifully entitled "The woman Tony Blair fears most". She stood in the leadership election in 1999 but came fourth. She started out as spokesman on women's issues and local government then became deputy Home Affairs spokesman under Charles Kennedy.
Stout , one-eyed and masculine -looking, Jackie faced negative comments about her appearance. Auberon Waugh told her she was too fat to be an MP.
Jackie was a prominent campaigner against blood sports and was picketed at her constituency surgeries by hunt supporters. This was thought to have caused her narrow defeat in 2001. A year later she was appointed Director-General of the RSPCA after spending time in Iran. The Daily Mail attacked her as "a feminist and failed MP who hates hunting and can't even read a balance sheet". She proved them wrong by overseeing a financial turnaround at the charity.
Jackie was later chief executive of the Royal National Institute for the Deaf and chief executive for ten months of Womankind Worldwide. From 2009 to 2012 she served on the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. In 2014, she became chief executive of Alcohol Concern.
She is now 66.
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