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Lady Olga Maitland

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Lady Olga Maitland
Lady Olga Maitland in 2006
Member of Parliament
for Sutton and Cheam
In office
9 April 1992 – 8 April 1997
Preceded byNeil Macfarlane
Succeeded byPaul Burstow
Personal details
Born
Helen Olga Maitland

(1944-05-23) 23 May 1944 (age 80)
New York, USA
NationalityBritish
Political partyConservative
Spouse
Robin William Patrick Hamilton Hay
​
​
(m. 1969)​
Children3

Lady Helen Olga Hay (née Maitland; born 23 May 1944), widely known as Lady Olga Maitland, is a British journalist, author, and Conservative politician. She served as the Member of Parliament for Sutton and Cheam from 1992 to 1997 and has been involved in defence advocacy and international business development.

Family and education

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Helen Olga Maitland was born on 23 May 1944 in New York City,[citation needed]the daughter of Patrick Maitland, 17th Earl of Lauderdale, a former Conservative MP and a foreign correspondent for The Times,[1] and Stanka (née Losanitch), whose mother had been a lady in waiting to the Royal Family of Yugoslavia.[2] }[3][4] She was educated at St Mary and St Anne's School, Abbots Bromley (later known as the Abbots Bromley School for Girls), and the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle in South Kensington.[citation needed]

Career

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Maitland began her journalism career in 1964 as a reporter for the Fleet Street News Agency and the Blackheath and District Reporter.[citation needed] She later became a columnist for the Sunday Express, a role she held from 1967 to 1991.[4] Her political journey began at the age of 16 when she joined the Young Conservatives.[5] In the 1980s, she reported to MI5 an attempt by Yuri Sagaidak, a KGB agent posing as a journalist, to recruit her. Sagaidak was subsequently exposed and expelled from the United Kingdom in 1989.[6]

Politics

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Maitland's political journey began in 1983 when she founded Women for Defence, a campaigning group established to counter protests against the deployment of American Cruise missiles on British soil. It also opposed movements such as the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), promoting nuclear deterrence as a pathway to multilateral disarmament.[7] The group was later renamed Families for Defence.[8] Its official launch on 28 March 1983, marked by a public meeting in Trafalgar Square, drew significant attention and recognition from U.S. President Ronald Reagan.[9][10] In January 1984, she participated in a public debate titled "Is Britain Worth Dying For?" representing Women and Families for Defence, where she argued in favor of the proposition.[11] Over time, the organisation evolved into the Defence and Security Forum (DSF), a think tank faddressing global defence and foreign affairs. Maitland continues to serve as its president.[12]

At the 1987 general election, Maitland stood as the Conservative candidate for Bethnal Green and Stepney, but was unsuccessful. She later represented Sutton and Cheam as its MP from the 1992 general election until that of 1997, when the Conservative Party lost power, and she was defeated by Liberal Democrat Paul Burstow by 2,097 votes.[5] Maitland contested the constituency again in 2001 but was not re-elected.[13]

During her tenure in Westminster, Maitland specialised in defence and security matters.[14] She served on several Parliamentary Committees, including:[13]

  • The Procedure Committee (27 April 1992 – 26 June 1995)
  • The Statutory Instruments Select Committee (7 February 1995 – 21 March 1997)
  • The Statutory Instruments Joint Committee (7 February 1995 – 21 March 1997)
  • The Health and Social Care Committee (10 June 1996 – 21 March 1997)

Maitland was also secretary to the Conservative Backbench Committee and a member of the Yugoslav Parliamentary Group.[4] She introduced Private Members Bills in the House of Commons on Prisoner's Return to Custody (1995) and Offensive Weapons (1996). From 1996 to 1997, she served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Sir John Wheeler, then Minister of State for Northern Ireland at the Northern Ireland Office.[4]

She has been vocal against positive discrimination, advocating for women to achieve political positions based on merit rather than quotas.[5] In January 1997, during a debate in the House of Commons, Maitland described the suggestion of caning girls as "barbaric," expressing her opposition to the reinstatement of corporal punishment in schools.[15] In the lead-up to the 2001 general election, Maitland was featured in a BBC News article that detailed her efforts to regain the Sutton and Cheam seat. The article highlighted her hands-on approach with constituents, including door-to-door canvassing and direct engagement with pensioners on local issues.[5]

Beyond politics

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In addition to her leadership of the DSF, Maitland has over 35 years of experience in security and governmental activities. Her work spans business development in regions such as Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, with a particular focus on foreign direct investment in North Africa.[14] She also served as CEO of the International Association of Money Transfer Networks (IAMTN).[14][3] In 2005, she launched the Algeria British Business Council (ABBC), where she serves as chairman.[16][14][17]

Personal life

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On 19 April 1969, Maitland married Robin William Patrick Hamilton Hay, M.A., LL.B., a barrister who later became a Crown Court Recorder. The couple have three children.[5] Following her marriage, Maitland retained her maiden name for public life.[5]

Publications

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Books

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  • Maitland, Lady Olga (1989). Margaret Thatcher The First Ten Years. Sidgwick & Jackson. ISBN 0283998318.

Articles

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  • Peace Studies in our Schools (1985; contributor)
  • Faith in the Family (1997)
  • Political Indoctrination in Our Schools.

References

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  1. ^ Taylor & Francis 2022, p. 132.
  2. ^ Conolly-Carew 2015, p. 123.
  3. ^ a b St James's Conservation Trust 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d CorD Magazine 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d e f BBC NEWS 2001.
  6. ^ Low 2018.
  7. ^ BBC 2015.
  8. ^ Campbell 2013, p. 124.
  9. ^ PHS. "The Times Diary: Swiss Role". Times, 4 Jan. 1985, p. 10. The Times Digital Archive. Accessed 19 Oct. 2020. (registration required)
  10. ^ Taylor & Francis 2022, p. 6-PA132.
  11. ^ Internet Archive 1984.
  12. ^ DSF 2022.
  13. ^ a b UK Parliament 1997.
  14. ^ a b c d Audere Group 2023.
  15. ^ Bevins 1997.
  16. ^ ABBC - Algeria British Business Council 2019.
  17. ^ embassyofalgeria.uk 2022.

Sources

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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Sutton and Cheam
1992–1997 		Succeeded by
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