[3] She worked as a volunteer primary care doctor in Nicaragua 1983–85 before she returned to the UK and trained as a general practitioner in the west of Scotland.

[2] She founded ArtsLift, a project that allowed people with mental health problems to gain access to arts classes.

[7] In 2001, Irvine led a group that campaigned for the London Borough of Lewisham to open a new state secondary school in New Cross.

[13][14] On 31 January, the Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt announced casualty and maternity units at Lewisham Hospital would be downgraded.

[15] The campaign group took the case to the High Court which ruled in July 2013 that the Health Secretary had acted outside his powers.

[21][22][23] She cited the record of the current Health Secretary as her reason for standing in South West Surrey:[21] "I’ve faced Jeremy Hunt in the courts - and beaten him twice.

"He needs to be held to account for what he’s doing to our NHS and the way in which he has bulldozed democracy, changing the law to push through hospital closures when he was beaten in court.

In March 2015, Queen guitarist Brian May launched the "Common Decency" campaign, naming Irvine alongside six already-serving MPs, saying: "We think you’re decent people, we think you represent your constituents and your conscience so we’re going to tell our people to try and cluster round and give you support.

[26] Labour promptly expelled three senior local party members on account of their involvement with this alliance.