Tavish Scott
Tavish Scott | |
---|---|
Minister for Transport and Telecommunications | |
In office 23 June 2005 – 17 May 2007 | |
First Minister | Jack McConnell |
Preceded by | Nicol Stephen |
Succeeded by | Stewart Stevenson |
Member of the Scottish Parliament for Shetland | |
In office 6 May 1999 – 15 July 2019[1] | |
Preceded by | Constituency Created |
Succeeded by | Beatrice Wishart |
Majority | 4,895 |
Personal details | |
Born | Napier College, Edinburgh | 6 May 1966
Website | Tavish Scott |
Tavish Hamilton Scott (born 6 May 1966) is a former Scottish politician. He was the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Shetland from 1999 to 2019, and Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats from 2008 to 2011. He stepped down as Leader after the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, in which the Liberal Democrats were reduced to five seats, down from 16 in the previous parliament.[2]
Background, education and early career
Scott was born on 6 May 1966 in
Member of the Scottish Parliament
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Scott was elected as the first
In 2003, he returned to the Scottish Executive as Deputy Minister for Finance and Public Services. During his time there his department piloted the
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.[6] On 26 August 2008, he was announced the winner of the leadership contest with 59% (1,450) of the votes.[7]
Following what he described as a "disastrous" set of results for the Scottish Liberal Democrats in the
In the run-up to the
Scott announced in June 2019 that he would be resigning from the Scottish Parliament to take a position with the Scottish Rugby Union.[12]
Career timeline
- 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 ward on Shetland Islands Council
- Vice-chairman of the Roads and Transport Committee
- 1997–1999: Director, Shetland Islands Tourism
- 1999–2019: 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
- 2011–2019: Scottish Liberal Democrat spokesman for business and the economy
References
- ^ "Home". Tavish Scott. 10 October 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
- ^ Black, Andrew (7 May 2011). "BBC News – Scots Lib Dem leader Tavish Scott quits post". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
- ^ "Bio". Tavish Scott MSP. Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. 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. 4 May 2007. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
- ^ Shetland News, 7 July 2008 Archived 8 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Tavish Scott wins Liberal Democrat leadership race". Edinburgh Evening News. 26 August 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
- Shetland Times. 7 May 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
- ^ "SNP admits Shetland and Orkney could opt out of independent Scotland". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- ^ a b "Scottish independence: Northern Isles devolution bid". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- ^ "Councillor quits Wir Shetland in wake of Tavish endorsement". 6 April 2016.
- ^ "Former Lib Dem leader Tavish Scott to quit Holyrood". BBC News. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
External links
- Scottish Parliament profiles of MSPs: Tavish Scott
- Tavish Scott MSP profile at the site of Scottish Liberal Democrats