Colin Beattie | |
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![]() Official portrait, 2016 | |
Member of the Scottish Parliament for Midlothian North and Musselburgh | |
Assumed office 6 May 2011 | |
Preceded by | Constituency established |
Majority | 7,906 (18.6%) |
Personal details | |
Born | Forfar, [1] Scotland | 17 October 1951
Political party | Scottish National Party |
Residence(s) | Dalkeith,Midlothian,Scotland |
Website | www |
Colin Beattie (born 17 October 1951) [2] is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician. He has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Midlothian North and Musselburgh constituency since 2011. Prior to this role,he was a councillor and group leader of the SNP on Midlothian Council.
For 23 years,Beattie worked as an international banker across the Middle East and Asia. He then decided after a period of working in London that he would return to living in Scotland with his wife,Lisa.[ citation needed ]
Beattie took an early retirement in 2006 to focus on being elected to Midlothian Council. [3] He was elected to represent Midlothian South in the 2007 Midlothian Council election [4] and was SNP group leader on the council. [2]
Beattie won the newly created seat of Midlothian North and Musselburgh in the 2011 Scottish Parliament election with a majority of just under 3000 votes. [2] [5] He retained his seat in the 2016 Scottish Parliament election,with a majority of over 7,000 votes. [6] He was also the SNP National Treasurer from 2004 to 2020;he was defeated in the 2020 SNP internal elections by Douglas Chapman. [7] However,when Chapman later resigned in May 2021,stating "I had not received the support or financial information required to carry out the fiduciary duties of National Treasurer",Beattie returned to the position. [8]
He was selected unopposed as the SNP's candidate for the 2021 Scottish Parliament election [9] and retained his seat,with an increased majority of 7,906. [10] [11]
Beattie was formally censured in 2013 by the Standards Commission for Scotland for breaching the Councillors’code of Conduct for failing to register interest in property whilst a councillor. [12] [13]
In 2023,he was arrested during the police investigation into the SNP finances. [14] He was later released without charge,but resigned as SNP treasurer the day after. [15]
Beattie is married to former Midlothian Council leader Lisa Beattie. [16] He lives in Dalkeith,Midlothian. [17]