John Nicolson was born in Glasgow,the son of John Donald Nicolson and Marion Nicolson. His ancestry is Hebridean and Orcadian on his father's side. His mother came from Scotstoun in Glasgow. His father died of lung cancer when he was at school and aged 15.[8]
After graduating from Harvard,he worked as a speechwriter on Capitol Hill for Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan specialising in Israel-Palestinian issues,the Irish peace process,and gun control.[13]
Broadcasting career
BBC
He moved back to the UK from Washington,D.C. to work full-time for the BBC when offered a job presenting the network 'DEF 2' youth strand discussion programme Open to Question.[14]
After three series Nicolson moved to London as one of the launch reporters for the BBC's flagship Sunday politics programme On the Record. He made the documentary 'A Question of Consent' for the BBC's Public Eye.[15] The documentary examined the discriminatory laws targeting gay men in the UK,and asked why the Conservative Party continued to support them.
He went on to work as a reporter for a range of high-profile BBC news and current affairs shows including Panorama,[14]Assignment,and Newsnight.[14]
Nicolson was the BBC presenter on 11 September 2001 when the Twin Towers in New York were attacked,anchoring and providing live commentary on BBC News 24 and BBC One –a broadcast which won the BBC a Foreign Press Association award for best live breaking news coverage. Of the broadcast,Nicolson said,"My time on air seemed dream like,with hours passing in an instant,and yet individual moments seeming to linger endlessly."[16]
ITV
He has said in later years that he preferred the interview environment at ITV. In stark contrast to the BBC,his ITV bosses were happy to go over time if the party's press office was unhappy with his probing questions to a politician.[17]
In 2020,Nicolson worked 98 and a half hours for News UK –three hours each Sunday –as a journalist. He declared outside earnings of £19,700,amounting to an hourly wage of £200.[31] In 2021 his contract with the outlet was terminated,something he alleged was due to an editorial desire for "uniform views".[32]
Political career
Early career
John Nicolson joined the Scottish National Party aged 16,[33] but let his membership lapse whilst working as a BBC and ITV journalist. He rejoined the party in the run up to the Scottish independence referendum. He was a member of the National Collective,the student cultural movement campaigning for Scottish independence during Scotland's Referendum.[34]
Member of Parliament for East Dunbartonshire (2015–17)
Nicolson was appointed Shadow SNP Spokesperson for Culture,Media and Sport shortly after his election. A strong supporter of public service broadcasting,he led the campaign at Westminster to prevent Channel 4 from being privatised.[37][38] He also campaigned for the establishment of a separate BBC Scottish Six O'Clock News –a proposal which won the unanimous support of members of the Commons Culture,Media and Sport Select Committee on which he sat.[39] The BBC subsequently announced a separate Scottish channel with a 9 o'clock news hour.[40]
Nicolson used his position to cross examine the BBC Chair Rona Fairhead,revealing the unorthodox way in which she had been appointed without due process. She withdrew her candidacy for the new BBC Board shortly afterwards. He also proposed that the BBC publish all presenter pay,arguing that it would reveal some hugely inflated salaries,a shortage of BME presenters at the top of the BBC earnings league,and a significant gender pay gap. His proposal was accepted by the DCMS Select Committee,and the Government. When BBC presenter salaries were subsequently published there was public controversy as a significant underpayment of women at the corporation was revealed.[41][42][43]
As a member of the DCMS Select Committee,Nicolson used the platform to talk about homophobia in sport,persuading the committee to launch an inquiry.[44] He was also actively involved in the parliamentary inquiries into "fake news",[45] the abuse of ticket sales by touts,[46] complaints against the press,[47] combating doping in sport,[48] and the impact of Brexit on the creative industries,tourism and the digital single market.[49]
An opponent of Brexit,Nicolson campaigned for Scotland to remain in the Single Market.[50]
A supporter of Palestinian rights and an independent homeland for the Palestinian people,Nicolson visited Israel and the Palestine territories with Medical Aid for Palestinians and the Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding soon after his election.[51][52]
In 2016,Nicolson put forward a Private Member's Bill for an 'Alan Turing law' which would retrospectively pardon all gay men who had been convicted of offences no longer on the statute books.[53][54] The Conservative government initially promised to support his proposed legislation,but then reversed its position following Theresa May's election as Conservative leader,causing a number of Tory MPs to condemn their own front bench as untrustworthy. Nicolson's bill was filibustered by Conservative government Justice Minister Sam Gyimah.[55] The SNP Scottish Government subsequently announced that it would pick up and pass a Scottish version of the bill with all party support at Holyrood,the Historical Sexual Offences (Pardons and Disregards) (Scotland) Act 2018 which came into effect in 2019.[56]
In 2016,The Herald newspaper dubbed him "bottom of the league for written questions",after reporting that he had submitted fewer than any other newly elected SNP MP.[57] Commenting on the story,the Scottish National Party said this was "traditional for senior frontbenchers who can question ministers in other ways."[57]
In 2016,Nicolson repeatedly criticised on social media STV's Digital Politics and Comment Editor,Stephen Daisley,who had published critical opinion pieces about the SNP.[58][59] He tweeted:"[Daisley] is meant to be a neutral journalist –not an activist."[60] Nicolson and another SNP MP,Pete Wishart,complained about him to STV bosses and Daisley alleges he was told,"We can't afford to have a member of the Culture,Media and Sport Committee complaining about us."[61] Daisley stopped writing opinion pieces for STV and Nicolson and Wishart were accused of "gagging" him.[58] However,the SNP said:"At no point did they ask for Mr Daisley to stop writing and any suggestion otherwise is completely untrue. Any editorial decisions are entirely a matter for STV."[62] STV denied censoring any of its journalists.[63]
Member of Parliament for Ochil and South Perthshire (2019–2024)
SNP House of Commons leader Stephen Flynn and Nicolson at the 2024 National Campaign Council
At the 2019 general election,Nicolson stood as the SNP candidate in Ochil and South Perthshire.[67] During the 2019 general election campaign,Nicolson was heckled at a hustings in Alloa after telling the audience,"Only the Scottish National Party can beat the Tories here in East Dunbartonshire."[68] Afterwards,Nicolson said "I made a slip of the tongue. We're all human."[69][70][71] Nicolson was elected as MP for Ochil and South Perthshire with 46.5% of the vote and a majority of 4,498.[72][73][74]
As a member of the CMS Committee,[75] Nicolson has taken evidence from witnesses and cross-examined ministers as part of inquiries on a number of issues including public service broadcasting,[76] the economics of music streaming,[77] concussion in sport[78] and the impact of Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic on culture and the arts. Following an exchange between Nicolson and Director-General of the BBCTim Davie on the DCMS Committee,the BBC revealed it had spent in excess of a million pounds on external lawyers fighting women and BAME staff over equal pay and race discrimination cases.[79][80][81]
During the first coronavirus lockdown,Nicolson fundraised to donate tablet devices to hospitals serving constituents of Ochil and South Perthshire,so that patients in COVID-19 ICU wards could stay in contact with friends and family members.[82][83] He said,"Having my own mum in hospital recently brought home to me again how important it is for patients to be able to stay in touch with relatives and friends,especially now that hospital visits aren't possible."[84]
As a result of the coronavirus pandemic,in-person constituency surgeries were not permitted and Nicolson became the first parliamentarian in Britain to launch an automated 'virtual surgery' booking system.[85]
In March 2021,Nicolson called for a debate in parliament on the disposal of unexploded mines and bombs on the seabed left there during the World Wars:"These explosions will kill any sea life nearby. If they do not die instantly,the pressure wave causes traumatic harm,such as lesions,haemorrhages and decompression sickness."[86]
In July 2021,a joint committee was established by the House of Commons and the House of Lords to consider the government's draft Online Safety Bill to which Mr Nicolson was appointed.[87]
In November 2022 Nicolson was rebuked by the Speaker of the House of Commons,Lindsay Hoyle,for partially leaking the contents of a letter.[88] Parliament voted to refer Nicolson to the Commons Select Committee of Privileges over the alleged leak. The Committee acquitted Mr Nicolson.[89]
In June 2023,Nicolson was cleared of bullying Conservative MP Nadine Dorries,who had complained about his conduct in a Parliamentary Committee meeting and several tweets that he had liked on Twitter,including one that referred to Dorries as a "vacuous goon". Dorries' complaint was initially upheld by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards,before an independent panel cleared Nicolson on appeal,based on,among other factors,Dorries' own record of behaviour on Twitter.[90]
In 1999,when he was a presenter on BBC Breakfast,Nicolson came out as gay in various newspapers. He was the first BBC network television presenter to do so.[92] He told the House of Commons that although the decision was tough,and not welcomed by his bosses at the BBC who were unsupportive,he is glad that he made it. "I've lost track of the number of people who've told me subsequently that when I came out in the papers they told their parents. Gay kids should have role models. They should know that being gay doesn't stop you doing anything as an adult."[93]
Nicolson lives in Bearsden in north Glasgow with his long-term partner Juliano Zini.[94] Nicolson is a landlord.[31]
Related Research Articles
Annabelle Janet Ewing is a Scottish politician and lawyer who has served as Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament,alongside Liam McArthur,since May 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP),she has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Cowdenbeath constituency since 2016,having previously been an MSP for the Mid Scotland and Fife region from 2011 to 2016.
Alan Reid is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician who has been a councillor in the East Dunbartonshire ward of Bearsden North since 2022.
Peter Wishart is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician and musician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Perth and Kinross-shire since 2024. He previously served as the MP for Perth and North Perthshire from 2005 to 2024 and North Tayside from 2001 to 2005.
Ochil and South Perthshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system of election.
Perth and North Perthshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. The constituency was created in 2005.
Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy is a county constituency representing the areas around the towns of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath,in Fife,Scotland,in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Gordon Raymond Banks is a British Labour politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ochil and South Perthshire from 2005 to 2015.
Scottish Labour,is the part of the UK Labour Party active in Scotland. Ideologically social democratic and unionist,it holds 22 of 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament and 37 of 57 Scottish seats in the House of Commons. It is represented by 262 of the 1,227 local councillors across Scotland. The Scottish Labour party has no separate Chief Whip at Westminster.
Andrew Paton Welsh was a Scottish politician. He was the Scottish National Party Member of Parliament (MP) for South Angus from October 1974 to 1979,East Angus from 1987 to 1997,and Angus from 1997 to 2001. He was the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the constituency of Angus from 1999 to 2011.
The Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party often known simply as the Scottish Conservatives and colloquially as the Scottish Tories is part of the UK Conservative Party active in Scotland. It currently holds 5 of the 57 Scottish seats in the House of Commons,31 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament,and comprises 209 of Scotland's 1,227 local councillors.
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.
Keith James Brown is a Scottish politician serving as Depute Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) since 2018. He is a former Royal Marines commando and has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) since 2007,first representing the Ochil constituency from 2007 to 2011,then the Clackmannanshire and Dunblane constituency since 2011. Brown previously served in the Scottish Cabinet,most recently as Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans from 2021 to 2023.
Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh OBE WS NP is a Scottish politician,serving as chair of the Alba Party since 2021. She was also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ochil and South Perthshire from 2015 to 2017. A former member of the Scottish Conservatives,Labour,and the Scottish National Party (SNP),Ahmed-Sheikh served as the SNP's Trade and Investment spokesperson,Deputy Shadow Leader of the House in the House of Commons,and the SNP's National Women's and Equalities Convener. A solicitor and businessperson,and a former actress,Ahmed-Sheikh founded and formerly chaired the Scottish Asian Women's Association.
A general election was held in the United Kingdom on 7 May 2015 and all 59 seats in Scotland were contested under the first-past-the-post,single-member district electoral system. Unlike the 2010 general election,where no seats changed party,the Scottish National Party (SNP) won all but three seats in Scotland,gaining a total of 56 seats. The SNP received what remains the largest number of votes gained by a single political party in a United Kingdom general election in Scotland in British history,breaking the previous record set by the Labour Party in 1964 and taking the largest share of the Scottish vote in sixty years,at approximately 50 per cent.
Douglas Chapman is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician. He served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dunfermline and West Fife from the 2015 general election until he stood down at the 2024 general election. He served as the SNP's Small Business,Enterprise and Innovation spokesperson whilst in Parliament.
Stephen Patrick Gethins is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician and academic serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry since the 2024 general election.
A general election was held in the United Kingdom on Thursday 8 June 2017;all 59 seats in Scotland were contested under the first-past-the-post electoral system.
Luke Patrick Graham is a British Conservative Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Ochil and South Perthshire from 2017 to 2019.
Amy Callaghan is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician who served as the member of parliament (MP) for East Dunbartonshire from 2019 until 2024 when the seat was abolished and she came second in the newly established seat of Mid Dunbartonshire. She unseated the then Liberal Democrat leader,Jo Swinson,with a narrow majority of 149 votes or 0.3%,overturning her majority of 5,339 votes two years earlier. She was SNP Health spokesperson since and sat on the Health and Social Care Select Committee during her time in Parliament.
David Michael Doogan is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Angus and Perthshire Glens,previously Angus,since 2019. Doogan was the SNP's Energy Security and Net Zero Spokesperson between September 2023 to July 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
