Tavish Scott MSP |
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Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats | |
In office 26 August 2008 – 7 May 2011 |
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Preceded by | Nicol Stephen |
Succeeded by | Willie Rennie |
Minister for Transport and Telecommunications | |
In office 23 June 2005 – 17 May 2007 |
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First Minister | Jack McConnell |
Preceded by | Nicol Stephen |
Succeeded by | Stewart Stevenson |
Member of the Scottish Parliament for Shetland |
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Assumed office 6 May 1999 |
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Majority | 1617 (17.2%) |
Personal details | |
Born | Inverness, Scotland |
6 May 1966
Political party | Scottish Liberal Democrats |
Alma mater | Napier College, Edinburgh |
Website | Tavish Scott |
Tavish Hamilton Scott MSP (born 6 May 1966) is a Scottish politician and MSP for Shetland. He was Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats from 2008 to 2011. He stepped down after the 2011 Scottish Parliamentary election, in which the Liberal Democrats were reduced to five seats, down from 16 in the previous parliament.[1]
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Background, education and early career[edit]
Scott was born on 6 May 1966 in Inverness, Scotland, he attended Anderson High School, Lerwick, Shetland and holds a BA (Hons) Business Studies from Napier College in Edinburgh. After graduating, he worked as a parliamentary assistant to Jim Wallace, then Lib Dem MP for Orkney and Shetland, and later as a Press Officer for the Scottish Liberal Democrats. He then returned to Shetland and became a farmer and also a councillor on Shetland Islands Council and Chairman of the Lerwick Harbour Trust. He is married with three children.[2]
Member of the Scottish Parliament[edit]
Scott was elected the first Member of the Scottish Parliament for Shetland in May 1999.[3] He was also the first parliamentarian for the Shetland Islands as a distinct entity; up to that point there had only been a single UK parliamentary constituency for both Orkney and Shetland. He served as a Deputy Minister for Parliament in the Scottish Executive from 2000 to 2001 in succession to his colleague Iain Smith, but resigned after refusing to support the Executive in a vote in the Parliament on a tie-up scheme for fishing.
In 2003, he returned to the Scottish Executive as Deputy Minister for Finance and Public Services. During his time there his department piloted the Local Governance (Scotland) Act, which changed the elections for local authorities in Scotland to a proportional representation system. Following Nicol Stephen's election as party leader and succession as Deputy First Minister of Scotland in 2005, Scott was appointed to the Cabinet as Minister for Transport. He was re-elected with an increased majority in May 2007,[4] and held the largest margin by percentage, 50.1%, of any MSP over their closest challenger.
After the resignation of his friend and former ministerial colleague Nicol Stephen, Scott declared his candidacy for the leadership of the Scottish Liberal Democrats on 7 July 2008 at Lerwick harbour, surrounded by a group of men dressed as Vikings which is a tradition in Shetland called Up Helly Aa where Shetlanders celebrate their Viking heritage.[5] On 26 August 2008, he was announced the winner of the leadership contest with 59% (1,450) of the votes.[6]
Following what he described as a "disastrous" set of results for the Scottish Liberal Democrats in the Scottish elections in May 2011, Scott offered his resignation as leader (remaining a Member of the Scottish Parliament).[7] He claimed the poor showings were in part due to the coalition deal which saw the Liberal Democrats form a government with the Conservatives after the United Kingdom general election, 2010.
Career timeline[edit]
- 1986-1989: Napier College
- 1989-1990: Parliamentary researcher to Jim Wallace MP for Orkney and Shetland, House of Commons
- 1990-1992: Press Officer, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Edinburgh
- 1992-1999: Farmer, Shetland family farm
- 1994-1999: Chairman and Trustee, Lerwick Harbour Trust
- 1994-1999: Councillor for Lerwick Harbour and Bressay ward on Shetland Islands Council
- Vice-chairman of the Roads and Transport Committee
- 1997-1999: Director, Shetland Islands Tourism
- 1999–present: Member of the Scottish Parliament for Shetland
- 2000-2001: Deputy Minister for Scottish Parliament
- 2003-2005: Deputy Minister for Finance, Public Services and Parliamentary Business
- 2005-2007: Minister for Transport
- 2007-2008: Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth
- Convenor of the Scottish Parliament's Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee
- 2008-2011: Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats
- 2011–present: Scottish Liberal Democrat spokesman for business and the economy
References[edit]
- ^ Black, Andrew (7 May 2011). "BBC News - Scots Lib Dem leader Tavish Scott quits post". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
- ^ "Bio". Tavish Scott MSP. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
- ^ "Previous MSPs: Session 1 (1999-2003): Tavish Scott MSP". Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
- ^ "Election 2007 | Scottish Parliament | Election Result: Shetland". BBC News. 2007-05-04. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
- ^ Shetland News, 7 July 2008[dead link]
- ^ "Tavish Scott wins Liberal Democrat leadership race". Edinburgh Evening News. 26 August 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
- ^ "Disastrous election performance provokes Scott to stand down as party leader". Shetland Times. 7 May 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
External links[edit]
- Tavish Scott MSP official biography at the Scottish Parliament website
- Tavish Scott MSP profile at the site of Scottish Liberal Democrats
Scottish Parliament | ||
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New constituency | Member of the Scottish Parliament for Shetland 1999–present |
Incumbent |
Party political offices | ||
Preceded by Nicol Stephen |
Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats 2008–2011 |
Succeeded by Willie Rennie |
Political offices | ||
Preceded by Nicol Stephen |
Minister for Transport and Telecommunications 2005–2007 |
Succeeded by Stewart Stevenson as Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change |
Preceded by Peter Peacock |
Deputy Minister for Finance 2003–2005 |
Succeeded by George Lyon |
Preceded by Iain Smith |
Deputy Minister for Parliamentary Business 2000–2001 |
Succeeded by Euan Robson |
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