Fiona McLeod

Last updated

(1 of 7 Regional MSPs)
Fiona McLeod
FionaMcLeodMSP20110507.JPG
McLeod in 2011
Minister for Children and Young People
Acting
In office
18 December 2014 31 August 2015
In office
6 May 1999 31 March 2003
Personal details
Born (1957-12-03) 3 December 1957 (age 64)
Glasgow, Scotland
Political party Scottish National Party
Alma mater Glasgow University
Strathclyde University
Profession Librarian

Fiona Grace McLeod (born 3 December 1957) is a Scottish politician who served as acting Minister for Children and Young People from 2014 to 2015. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she was Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Strathkelvin and Bearsden constituency from 2011 to 2016, having previously represented the West of Scotland region from 1999 to 2003.

Contents

Background

She was born on 3 December 1957 in Glasgow, Scotland. She studied History at University of Glasgow, before gaining a Postgraduate Diploma in Librarianship at University of Strathclyde. She worked as a librarian at Glasgow North College of Nursing and the Marie Curie Huntershill Hospice. She was appointed to Ofcom's Scottish Advisory Committee from 2004 to 2006, and was a founding member of Westerton Junior Youth Club.

Scottish Parliament

In the 1999 election she stood as a constituency candidate in Strathkelvin and Bearsden, where she was runner-up to Labour candidate Sam Galbraith. [1] She had been placed fourth on the SNP's West of Scotland list, and was elected as a MSP through this route. [2] She served as Deputy Party Spokesperson on the Environment. [3]

Galbraith resigned his seat in 2001 but McLeod did not stand in the subsequent by-election as this would have meant resigning her seat. However she did contest the seat in the 2003 election but finished fourth, behind Jean Turner (an independent), Brian Fitzpatrick (who had won the by-election) and Jo Swinson (who would later become MP for part of the seat). She also only placed 7th on the SNP list for West of Scotland and so also lost her top-up place in parliament.

In the 2011 Scottish Parliament general election she won the constituency of Strathkelvin and Bearsden following the SNP landslide victory, defeating David Whitton on a swing of 7.7%.

She served as acting Minister for Children and Young People, from 18 December 2014 until 31 August 2015, [4] during Aileen Campbell MSP's maternity leave. This was the first time that a Minister of the Scottish Government had taken maternity leave. [5]

In May 2015, Mcleod announced that she would not be standing for re-election to Parliament the following year. [6]

After Parliament

In 2004, she became one of the first members of Ofcom's Advisory Committee for Scotland. [7]

In November 2016 she was announced as a member of the Commission on Parliamentary Reform, having been nominated to represent the SNP. [8]

In August 2017, the Scottish Book Trust appointed her as a member of its Board of Trustees. [9]

Personal life

McLeod is married with one son. [10]

Related Research Articles

Jean McGivern Turner is a Scottish medical doctor and former Independent politician. She was the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Strathkelvin and Bearsden constituency from 2003 until 2007.

2003 Scottish Parliament election Parliamentary election held in Scotland

The 2003 Scottish Parliament election, was the second election of members to the Scottish Parliament. It was held on 1 May 2003 and it brought no change in terms of control of the Scottish Executive. Jack McConnell, the Labour Party MSP, remained in office as First Minister for a second term and the Executive continued as a Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition. As of 2021, it remains the last Scottish Parliament election victory for the Scottish Labour Party.

Margaret Anne Ewing was a Scottish teacher, journalist and politician. She served as a Scottish National Party (SNP) Member of Parliament for East Dunbartonshire from 1974 to 1979 and Moray from 1987 to 2001, and was the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Moray from 1999 until 2006.

Sam Galbraith

Samuel Laird Galbraith was a Scottish politician and neurosurgeon who served as Minister for Environment, Sport and Culture from 2000 to 2001 and Minister for Children and Education from 1999 to 2000. Galbraith was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Strathkelvin and Bearsden from 1999 to 2001, and a Member of Parliament (MP) in the British House of Commons for the equivalent seat from 1987 to 2001.

Richard Lochhead Scottish politician (born 1969)

Richard Neilson Lochhead is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician who is Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work and has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Moray since 2006. He was previously an MSP for North East Scotland 1999–2006 and served as the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and Environment from 2007 to 2016, and the Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science from 2018 to 2021.

Fiona Hyslop Scottish politician

Fiona Jane Hyslop is a Scottish politician who served as Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture from 2020 to 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Linlithgow constituency since 2011, having represented the Lothians region from 1999 to 2011.

Shona Robison Scottish National Party politician

Shona McRory Robison is a Scottish politician serving as the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government since 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Dundee City East since 2003 and was an additional member for the North East Scotland region from 1999 to 2003.

Patricia Ferguson British politician (born 1958)

Patricia Josephine Ferguson is a Scottish Labour Party politician who was the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow Maryhill constituency from 1999 until 2011 and for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn from 2011 until 2016.

Brian Fitzpatrick is a lawyer and former Scottish Labour Party politician. He was the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Strathkelvin and Bearsden between 2001 and 2003.

Clydebank and Milngavie (Scottish Parliament constituency) Region or constituency of the Scottish Parliament

Clydebank and Milngavie is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament covering part of the council areas of East Dunbartonshire and West Dunbartonshire. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post method of election.It is also one of ten constituencies in the West Scotland electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to the ten constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

West of Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region) Scottish Parliament electoral region

West of Scotland was one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament that were created in 1999. Nine of the Parliament's 73 first past the post constituencies were sub-divisions of the region and it elected seven of the 56 additional-member Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). Thus it elected a total of 16 MSPs.

Strathkelvin and Bearsden (Scottish Parliament constituency) Region or constituency of the Scottish Parliament

Strathkelvin and Bearsden is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood). It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post method of election. Also, however, it is one of ten constituencies in the West Scotland electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to ten constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

David Whitton

David Whitton is a Scottish journalist, Labour Party politician and former Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP). He was elected to the Scottish Parliament for Strathkelvin and Bearsden in 2007, defeating the incumbent Independent MSP Jean Turner, and losing the seat at the 2011 election to Fiona McLeod of the Scottish National Party.

2007 Scottish Parliament election Parliamentary election held in Scotland

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.

Aileen Campbell Scottish National Party politician

Aileen Elizabeth Campbell is a Scottish football administrator and former politician who has served as the chief executive of Scottish Women's Football since 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party, she was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for fourteen years and was a Scottish Government minister for ten, having served on the Scottish Cabinet as Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government, from 2018 to 2021.

2021 Scottish Parliament election General election in Scotland

The 2021 Scottish Parliament election took place on 6 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, English local elections, London Assembly and mayoral election and the Hartlepool by-election.

2016 Scottish Parliament election Parliamentary election held in Scotland

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.

Chic Brodie (politician) Scottish politician (born 1944)

Charles "Chic" Gilchrist Brodie is a Scottish politician, who has been the leader of Scotia Future since 2020.

Christian Allard French-born Scottish politician

Christian Allard is a French-born Scottish politician. Allard was elected as a Scottish National Party (SNP) Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Scotland constituency in the 2019 European Parliament election, serving until the 31 January 2020 when the Brexit process was completed. He is also a former Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the North East Scotland region 2013−2016 and has been a councillor for Aberdeen City Council since 2017.

Rona Mackay Scottish politician

Rona Mackay is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician who has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Strathkelvin and Bearsden since the Scottish Parliamentary elections in May 2016.

References

  1. "Vote 99. Scotland. Strathkelvin & Bearsden". BBC News. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  2. "Vote 99. Scotland. West of Scotland". BBC News. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  3. "Previous MSPs: Session 1: Fiona McLeod". Scottish Parliament . Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  4. "Previous MSPs: Session 4: Fiona McLeod". Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  5. "Scottish children's minister begins maternity leave". BBC News. 19 December 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  6. "MSP Fiona McLeod to retire". Kirkintilloch Herald. 31 May 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  7. "Ofcom names Scottish committee". The Drum. 5 March 2004. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  8. "Presiding Officer names Parliament reform commission members". The Journal. Law Society of Scotland. 2 November 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  9. Martin, Graham (21 August 2017). "Ex MSP among charity's new trustees". Third Force News. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  10. "McLeod, Fiona Grace, (born 3 Dec. 1957), Member (SNP) Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Parliament, 2011–16; carer", Who's Who, Oxford University Press, 2007, doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u26052