The youngest child, her parents were natives of Leith and moved to the village of Inveresk with Deacon's older brother in the early 1960s.

[3] She had been education spokesperson in Dewar's election campaign team and had been initially rejected as a candidate by Scottish Labour's controversial vetting process,[4] eventually becoming the only person to appeal successfully.

Despite this rocky start, Deacon gained respect in the new Parliament and was regarded as one of Labour's most effective performers – and was tipped as a possible future First Minister.

Deacon was offered a further Cabinet position by incoming First Minister Jack McConnell in November 2001 but, by then pregnant with her second child, decided instead to leave Government[6] and go to the backbenches.

[7] A critic of the flagship policy of free personal care, she argued against its introduction saying future costs were unknown and may not be sustainable – a view rejected by the Scottish Parliament.

She won plaudits for her strong stance against militant anti-abortion campaigners,[8] though was criticised by the Roman Catholic Church for her position on issues such as teenage pregnancy and contraception.

[16] In 2010, Deacon was appointed by Michael Russell, MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning as the Scottish Government's "Early Years Champion".

[17] Her report, Joining the Dots,[18] received widespread interest [19] and is credited with influencing policy and investment in children's early years development and education.

Deacon signalled a series of early changes in the Authority including a more transparent and outward facing approach [24] and the appointment of a number of new Board members.

The previous Chief Constable Phil Gormley resigned in February 2017 and a number of new senior officers have since been appointed to the leadership team.