2021 Scottish Liberal Democrats leadership election

Last updated

2021 Scottish Liberal Democrats leadership election
Flag of Scotland.svg
  2011 20 July – 20 August 2021 (2021-07-20 2021-08-20)
  Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP.jpg
Candidate Alex Cole-Hamilton
Popular voteUnopposed

Leader before election

Alistair Carmichael (acting)
Willie Rennie

Elected Leader

Alex Cole-Hamilton

The 2021 Scottish Liberal Democrats leadership election was triggered on 12 July 2021 after incumbent leader Willie Rennie announced his intention to step down as leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats following the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.

Contents

On 27 July, Edinburgh Western MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton announced his intention to run for leader. He stated that he wanted to offer an "alternative kind of thinking" to what he described as "the Scottish nationalism of the SNP and the British nationalism of Boris Johnson's Brexiteers". [1]

Throughout the election, Deputy Leader (MP for Orkney and Shetland) served as Interim Leader.

Candidates

Only sitting MSPs may seek nominations to become leader, with Cole-Hamilton the only one to announce their candidacy. The party's executive stated its aim to conduct the election before Holyrood returns from its summer recess. [2]

Nominations for the election opened on 20 July and closed on 20 August. [3]

As only Cole-Hamilton announced his candidacy for the leadership, [4] he was declared the leader of the party on 20 August. [5] [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness</span> Scottish politician (born 1954)

James Robert Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness, is a Scottish politician serving as a Liberal Democrat life peer in the British House of Lords since 2007 and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland from 2021 to 2022. He served as the Deputy First Minister of Scotland from 1999 to 2005, and during that time he served twice as acting First Minister, in 2000, in the aftermath of Donald Dewar's death and in 2001, following Henry McLeish's resignation. He was formerly Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats from 1992 to 2005 and Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords from 2013 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tavish Scott</span> British politician (born 1966)

Tavish Hamilton Scott 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Rumbles</span> Scottish politician (born 1956)

Michael John Rumbles is a former Scottish Liberal Democrat politician. He served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for North East Scotland, from 2016 to 2021. He previously represented West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine before being defeated at the 2011 election in the successor constituency of Aberdeenshire West).

The Scottish Liberal Democrats is a liberal, federalist political party in Scotland, part of UK Liberal Democrats. The party holds 4 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament and 6 of the 57 Scottish seats in the House of Commons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willie Rennie</span> Former Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats

William Cowan Rennie is a Scottish politician who served as the Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats from 2011 to 2021. He has served as the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for North East Fife since 2016, and previously as a list MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife and as Member of Parliament (MP) for Dunfermline and West Fife.

Hugh O'Donnell is a former Scottish politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Scottish Parliament election</span>

The 2011 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday, 5 May 2011 to elect 129 members to the Scottish Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Scottish Parliament election</span>

The 2007 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the third general election to the devolved Scottish Parliament since it was created in 1999. Local elections in Scotland fell on the same day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alison McInnes</span> Scottish politician (born 1957)

Alison McClure McInnes is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician. She was the Scottish Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Health and Justice in the Scottish Parliament. She was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the North East Scotland region 2007–2016, when she lost her seat at the 2016 Scottish Parliament election. Whilst in Parliament, McInnes was a member of the Justice Committee and a substitute member of Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee of the Scottish Parliament.

The 2008 Scottish Liberal Democrats leadership election was an election to choose a new leader of the Liberal Democrats in Scotland, triggered following the resignation of Nicol Stephen for personal reasons. Deputy leader Michael Moore took over as interim party leader, and the timetable for the election was agreed on 5 July 2008: Nominations closed on 24 July 2008, the return of the ballot papers was set for 26 August 2008 and the declaration of results occurred on the same date. The last leadership election was held in 2005 after the resignation of Jim Wallace, when Stephen defeated Mike Rumbles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Scottish Parliament election</span>

The 2021 Scottish Parliament election took place on 11 May 2021, under the provisions of the Scotland Act 1998. All 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament were elected in the sixth election since the parliament was re-established in 1999. The election was held alongside the Senedd election in Wales, English local elections, London Assembly and mayoral election and the Hartlepool by-election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Scottish Parliament election</span>

The 2016 Scottish parliament election was held on Thursday, 5 May 2016 to elect 129 members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the fifth election held since the devolved parliament was established in 1999. It was the first parliamentary election in Scotland in which 16 and 17 year olds were eligible to vote, under the provisions of the Scottish Elections Act. It was also the first time the three largest parties were led by women.

The 2011 Scottish Liberal Democrats leadership election was triggered by the resignation of party leader Tavish Scott on 7 May 2011, due to the very poor showing of the party at the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, in which the Liberal Democrats only returned 5 MSPs and lost 12.

The 2015 Liberal Democrats leadership election was held on 16 July 2015 following the resignation of Nick Clegg as leader on 8 May 2015, after almost eight years as leader of the Liberal Democrats, following the party's poor performance at the 2015 general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Cole-Hamilton</span> Scottish Liberal Democrat politician

Alexander Geoffrey Cole-Hamilton is a British politician who has served as Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats since 2021 and the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Edinburgh Western constituency since 2016.

The 2019 Liberal Democrats leadership election was held following the announcement of the resignation of Vince Cable as leader on 24 May 2019, after just under two years as leader of the Liberal Democrats in the United Kingdom. The two candidates to succeed Cable were Ed Davey and Jo Swinson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Shetland by-election</span>

The 2019 Shetland by-election was held on 29 August 2019 to elect a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the constituency of Shetland. It was held following the resignation of Liberal Democrat MSP Tavish Scott upon taking a new role at Scottish Rugby. The Liberal Democrats held the seat, with Beatrice Wishart being elected for the party.

The 2020 Liberal Democrats leadership election was held in August 2020, after Jo Swinson, the previous leader of the Liberal Democrats, lost her seat in the 2019 general election. It was initially set to be held in July 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic it was delayed by six weeks, having been at first postponed until May 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6th Scottish Parliament</span> Members of the 6th Scottish Parliament

The 6th Scottish Parliament was elected at the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. It was opened with the Escort to the Crown of Scotland Parade and Speech from the Throne on 2 October 2021.

References

  1. Davidson, Gina (27 July 2021). "Alex Cole-Hamilton to stand as candidate for Scottish Lib Dem leader". The Scotsman . Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  2. "Willie Rennie to stand down as Scottish Lib Dem leader". BBC News . 12 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  3. Media Team (20 July 2021). "Scottish Liberal Democrats open nominations for new party leader". Scottish Liberal Democrats . Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  4. Staff reporter (20 August 2021). "Cole-Hamilton set to be confirmed as new Scottish Lib Dems leader". Holyrood . Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  5. Media Team (20 August 2021). "Alex Cole-Hamilton is the new leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats". Scottish Liberal Democrats . Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  6. "Alex Cole-Hamilton confirmed as new Lib Dem leader". BBC News . 20 August 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2021.

See also