Joani Reid
Joani Reid is a Scottish Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for East Kilbride and Strathaven since July 2024.
Early life
Reid is a granddaughter of the Scottish trade unionist Jimmy Reid. She studied politics and philosophy at the University of Glasgow, then went to London for a Masters degree.She worked as a policy manager at the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.
Political career
Local government
Reid was a councillor for the Lewisham Central ward in Lewisham for eight years from 2014 and served as Cabinet Member for Safer Communities.She was selected as the Labour candidate for East Kilbride and Strathaven in February 2023 and elected to the House of Commons at the 2024 general election.
House of Commons
Reid has served as a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee since October 2024. She is Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Against Antisemitism.In October 2025, Reid faced criticism from Scottish National Party politicians and local councillors after claiming that the party had “turned Glasgow into a sanctuary for asylum seekers through their own virtue-signalling policies”.