Gillian Mackay

Last updated

(1 of 7 Regional MSPs)
Gillian Mackay
MSP
Gillian Mackay 2021.jpg
Affirming in 2021
Co-Leader of the Scottish Greens
Incumbent
Assumed office
29 August 2025
Servingwith Ross Greer
Incumbent
Assumed office
8 May 2021
Personal details
Born
Gillian Audrey Mackay

(1991-08-11) 11 August 1991 (age 34) [1]
Falkirk, Scotland
Political party Scottish Greens
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2023)​
ChildrenOne
Alma mater Heriot-Watt University

Gillian Audrey Mackay [2] (born 11 August 1991) is a Scottish politician who has served as Co-Leader of the Scottish Greens since August 2025. She has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Central Scotland region since the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. [3] She is the first Green MSP ever to be elected in Central Scotland. [4]

Contents

Raised in Grangemouth, she is a graduate in marine biodiversity and biotechnology from Heriot-Watt University. She has the sensory disorder Ménière's disease. [5]

Early life and education

Mackay was born to a father from Brora in Sutherland and a mother from Portobello, Edinburgh. [6] She attended Heriot-Watt University and played badminton, hockey and rugby. [6]

Political career

Mackay first entered politics with an internship with the Scottish Greens at Holyrood. [5] She received the internship through a program which aimed to support disabled people in politics. [5] She subsequently went on to become a Regional Campaign Support Officer for the Lothian region.

Prior to being elected to the Scottish Parliament, Mackay was an unsuccessful candidate in the Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency in the 2019 UK general election, and also stood in the 2017 City of Edinburgh Council election and the 2019 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom. [5]

She is the Scottish Greens' spokesperson for health and social care, [7] and currently sits on the Parliamentary Bureau for the party. [8]

Mackay lodged the draft proposal for her Members Bill, the " Abortion Services Safe Access Zones (Scotland)" on 18 May 2023; with the final proposal lodged on 15 June 2023. The consultation for the Bill received 11,827 personal responses and 52 organisational responses. [9] The Bill subsequently received support from MSP's from all Parties in the Parliament and Mackay secured the right for the Bill to be introduced on 5 October 2023. [10] Formal introduction of the Bill to the Scottish Parliament was completed on 5 October 2023. [11] The Bill passed the Scottish Parliament with a near unanimous support, passing 118–1. [12] . The Bill was signed into law on 22 July 2024 [13]

In July 2025, Mackay announced her intention to run for election as co-leader of the Scottish Greens, a position which she won. [14]

Personal life

Her mother, Audrey, was a music teacher in Falkirk. She died in December 2020. [6] She also has a sister and a brother. [15]

In 2023, Mackay and her fiancé were said to be learning British Sign Language. [16]

In October 2023, Mackay married her husband [17] in Portobello, Edinburgh [18] and had her first child on 30 June 2025 [19]

References

  1. ↑ Statutory registers - Births - Search results, ScotlandsPeople
  2. ↑ "2019 Westminster Parliamentary election results". Falkirk Council . Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  3. ↑ Mcilkenny, Stephen (8 May 2021). "Patrick Harvie says list votes for Greens up across Scotland". The Herald . Archived from the original on 9 May 2021.
  4. ↑ Paterson, Kirsty (8 May 2021). "Scottish Election 2021 results: Scottish Greens win first MSP in Central Scotland". The Scotsman . Edinburgh. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Ross, Calum (12 October 2020). "On a whim: Gillian Mackay stumbled into politics but now is taking great strides". The Courier . Dundee. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 "10 things that changed my life with Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay". The National. 31 March 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  7. ↑ Nutt, Kathleen (21 May 2021). "Scottish Greens unveil roles for all their Holyrood team following the election". The National. Herald and Times Group. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  8. ↑ "Parliamentary Bureau". www.parliament.scot. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  9. ↑ Mackay, Gillian. "Proposed Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill – Gillian Mackay MSP" (PDF). www.parliament.scot. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  10. ↑ "Proposed Abortion Services Safe Access Zones Scotland Bill". www.parliament.scot. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  11. ↑ "Bills and Laws - Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill". www.parliament.scot. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  12. ↑ "Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill".
  13. ↑ PA Media (23 July 2024). "'Milestone for women's rights' as abortion buffer zones law gets Royal Assent". STV News. Glasgow. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  14. ↑ Pringle, Michael (9 May 2025). "Gillian Mackay announces her intent to run for election as Scottish Greens co-leader". Daily Record. Reach Scotland. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  15. ↑ Paterson, Kirsty (11 May 2021). "Gillian Mackay: Grangemouth's groundbreaking Green MSP to be sworn in at Holyrood". www.falkirkherald.co.uk. JPMedia Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  16. ↑ "Gillian Mackay: Some politicians 'have turned themselves into caricatures'". Holyrood Website. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  17. ↑ Brawn, Steph (2 January 2025). "MSP announces she is expecting her first child in July". The National. Newsquest Media Group Ltd. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  18. ↑ Garton-Crosbie, Abbi (31 March 2024). "Gillian Mackay MSP: 10 things that changed my life". The National. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  19. ↑ Mackay, Gillian. "Callan Alexander Mackay born on the 30th of June, weighing 8lbs and 3oz" . Retrieved 5 August 2025.
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