Iain Gray
Encyclopedia
Iain Gray is a Scottish politician and the Leader of Scottish Labour Party
Opposition
in the Scottish Parliament
. Gray was elected as the Member of the Scottish Parliament
for the East Lothian
constituency in 2007
having previously represented Edinburgh Pentlands
from 1999
to 2003
.
and privately at George Watson's College
, Edinburgh before studying physics at the University of Edinburgh
and training as a maths and physics teacher at Moray House College of Education. After graduation he worked as a maths and physics teacher at Gracemount High School
in Edinburgh, before a teaching stint in Mozambique
. He then spent twelve years as the Campaigns Director for the Scottish arm of the aid charity Oxfam
. Gray is a lifelong fan of Edinburgh football club Hibernian
, and enjoys reading, music and hill walking.
Gray has been married twice. He married his first wife, Linda Malloch, in 1978 with whom he has one daughter. Malloch divorced him and later married Gray's long-time friend Kevin Dunion
, the Scottish Information Commissioner
. Gray married his second wife Gill (a part-time constituency secretary to Labour MSP Mary Mulligan
) in 1997, with whom he has two step-daughters.
In 1999, immediately after his election to Holyrood
he was made a deputy minister in the first Scottish Executive
under Donald Dewar
and following Jack McConnell
becoming First Minister
in 2001 he was promoted to Minister for Social Justice. After the sudden resignation of Wendy Alexander
(following disagreements with McConnell) in 2002, Gray took over her role as Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning, where he was responsible for overseeing changes to Scottish higher education
.
In the winter of 2003, he suffered an infection of parotid gland which curtailed his political career for nearly a year. Despite making a full recovery, the scars of this infection remain visible.
In the 2003 election, Gray was defeated by Scottish Conservative leader David McLetchie
, whom he had beaten in 1999. Leaving Holyrood, he went to work as a special adviser under Secretary of State Alistair Darling
MP at the Scotland Office
in London and initially announced he would not be seeking re-election.
Having subsequently a change of mind, he was selected as the Labour candidate for East Lothian
for the 2007 election and subsequently won. Gray was appointed Labour's shadow spokesman for enterprise, energy and tourism upon his return to Parliament.
Following the resignation of Wendy Alexander
over a foreign donation scandal, Gray announced in July 2008 that he would stand in the contest
to find the next leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament
, and was elected to this post in September 2008.
In December 2010, Iain Gray sparked a diplomatic row when he appeared to claim in parliament that Montenegro
had been involved in ethnic cleansing and war crimes during the 1990s Balkans Conflict
.
On 7 April 2011, while campaigning in Glasgow Central station
for the Scottish Parliament Election, Gray was forced to cancel an event due to disruption by 9 people protesting against public service spending cuts. He quickly left the station and ran into a nearby Subway
sandwich shop to escape the protestors, who followed him into the shop and continued to heckle him. Gray later said that he had not been unsettled by the incident and said "I spent two years working in the civil war in Mozambique, I've been to Rwanda two months after the genocide, I walked the killing fields in Cambodia and I was in Chile three days after Pinochet was demitted from office".
Gray held his seat of East Lothian in the 2011 Holyrood election; however, his majority was the narrowest of his political career – just 151 over the SNP, making the Holyrood seat for the first time a Labour–SNP marginal. He announced on May 6 that he would stand down in the Autumn.
Scottish Labour Party
The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
Opposition
Opposition (parliamentary)
Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. Note that this article uses the term government as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning the administration or the cabinet rather than the state...
in the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
. Gray was elected as the Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
for the East Lothian
East Lothian (Scottish Parliament constituency)
East Lothian is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
constituency in 2007
Scottish Parliament election, 2007
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...
having previously represented Edinburgh Pentlands
Edinburgh Pentlands (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh Pentlands is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
from 1999
Scottish Parliament election, 1999
The Scottish Parliament election, 1999 was the first general election of the Scottish Parliament, with voting taking place on 6 May 1999 to elect 129 members...
to 2003
Scottish Parliament election, 2003
The Scottish Parliament election, 2003, was the second general election of the Scottish Parliament. It was held on 1 May 2003 and it brought no change in terms of control of the Scottish Executive...
.
Background and early career
Gray was educated at Inverness Royal AcademyInverness Royal Academy
Inverness Royal Academy is a secondary school located in the Culduthel area of Inverness, Highland, Scotland.- Catchment area :...
and privately at George Watson's College
George Watson's College
George Watson's College, known informally as Watson's, is a co-educational independent day school in Scotland, situated on Colinton Road, in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh. It was first established as a hospital school in 1741, became a day school in 1871 and was merged with its sister school...
, Edinburgh before studying physics at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
and training as a maths and physics teacher at Moray House College of Education. After graduation he worked as a maths and physics teacher at Gracemount High School
Gracemount High School
Gracemount High School is a non-denominational six-year comprehensive secondary school serving south-east Edinburgh, Scotland. It has a current roll of over 600 pupils and around 80 staff...
in Edinburgh, before a teaching stint in Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
. He then spent twelve years as the Campaigns Director for the Scottish arm of the aid charity Oxfam
Oxfam
Oxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working in 98 countries worldwide to find lasting solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world. In all Oxfam’s actions, the ultimate goal is to enable people to exercise their rights and manage their own lives...
. Gray is a lifelong fan of Edinburgh football club Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
, and enjoys reading, music and hill walking.
Gray has been married twice. He married his first wife, Linda Malloch, in 1978 with whom he has one daughter. Malloch divorced him and later married Gray's long-time friend Kevin Dunion
Kevin Dunion
Kevin Dunion OBE is the first and current Scottish Information Commissioner, as well as the current Lord Rector of the University of St Andrews.-Early life:...
, the Scottish Information Commissioner
Scottish Information Commissioner
The Scottish Information Commissioner is responsible for the promotion and enforcement of the Freedom of Information Act 2002 and the ....
. Gray married his second wife Gill (a part-time constituency secretary to Labour MSP Mary Mulligan
Mary Mulligan
Mary Mulligan is a Labour politician, and formerly Member of the Scottish Parliament for Linlithgow constituency from 1999-2011. She lost her seat to the Scottish National Party's Fiona Hyslop in the 2011 Scottish Parliament election..She was appointed Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care...
) in 1997, with whom he has two step-daughters.
Political career
Iain Gray has stood as a candidate in Lothian Regional Council elections.In 1999, immediately after his election to Holyrood
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
he was made a deputy minister in the first Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
under Donald Dewar
Donald Dewar
Donald Campbell Dewar was a British politician who served as a Labour Party Member of Parliament in Scotland from 1966-1970, and then again from 1978 until his death in 2000. He served in Tony Blair's cabinet as Secretary of State for Scotland from 1997-1999 and was instrumental in the creation...
and following Jack McConnell
Jack McConnell
Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale is a British Labour life peer in the House of Lords. He was third First Minister of Scotland from 2001 to 2007, making him the longest serving First Minister in the history of the Scottish Parliament...
becoming First Minister
First Minister of Scotland
The First Minister of Scotland is the political leader of Scotland and head of the Scottish Government. The First Minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Scottish Government policy...
in 2001 he was promoted to Minister for Social Justice. After the sudden resignation of Wendy Alexander
Wendy Alexander
Wendy Alexander is a Scottish politician and the former Member of the Scottish Parliament for Paisley North. She held various Scottish Government cabinet posts and was the leader of the Labour Party group in the Scottish Parliament from 2007-2008...
(following disagreements with McConnell) in 2002, Gray took over her role as Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning, where he was responsible for overseeing changes to Scottish higher education
Education in Scotland
Scotland has a long history of universal provision of public education, and the Scottish education system is distinctly different from the other countries of the United Kingdom...
.
In the winter of 2003, he suffered an infection of parotid gland which curtailed his political career for nearly a year. Despite making a full recovery, the scars of this infection remain visible.
In the 2003 election, Gray was defeated by Scottish Conservative leader David McLetchie
David McLetchie
David McLetchie is a Scottish politician, currently a Scottish Conservative and Unionist Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Lothian electoral region...
, whom he had beaten in 1999. Leaving Holyrood, he went to work as a special adviser under Secretary of State Alistair Darling
Alistair Darling
Alistair Maclean Darling is a Scottish Labour Party politician who has been a Member of Parliament since 1987, currently for Edinburgh South West. He served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2007 to 2010...
MP at the Scotland Office
Scotland Office
The Scotland Office is a United Kingdom government department headed by the Secretary of State for Scotland and responsible for Scottish affairs...
in London and initially announced he would not be seeking re-election.
Having subsequently a change of mind, he was selected as the Labour candidate for East Lothian
East Lothian (Scottish Parliament constituency)
East Lothian is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
for the 2007 election and subsequently won. Gray was appointed Labour's shadow spokesman for enterprise, energy and tourism upon his return to Parliament.
Following the resignation of Wendy Alexander
Wendy Alexander
Wendy Alexander is a Scottish politician and the former Member of the Scottish Parliament for Paisley North. She held various Scottish Government cabinet posts and was the leader of the Labour Party group in the Scottish Parliament from 2007-2008...
over a foreign donation scandal, Gray announced in July 2008 that he would stand in the contest
Scottish Labour Party leadership election, 2008
The 2008 Scottish Labour Party leadership election was an internal party election to choose a new leader of the Labour Party in the Scottish Parliament, and was triggered following the resignation of Wendy Alexander following a row over donations to her own leadership campaign in 2007...
to find the next leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Labour Party
The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
, and was elected to this post in September 2008.
In December 2010, Iain Gray sparked a diplomatic row when he appeared to claim in parliament that Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
had been involved in ethnic cleansing and war crimes during the 1990s Balkans Conflict
Yugoslav wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...
.
On 7 April 2011, while campaigning in Glasgow Central station
Glasgow Central station
Glasgow Central is the larger of the two present main-line railway terminals in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. The station was opened by the Caledonian Railway on 31 July 1879 and is currently managed by Network Rail...
for the Scottish Parliament Election, Gray was forced to cancel an event due to disruption by 9 people protesting against public service spending cuts. He quickly left the station and ran into a nearby Subway
Subway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
sandwich shop to escape the protestors, who followed him into the shop and continued to heckle him. Gray later said that he had not been unsettled by the incident and said "I spent two years working in the civil war in Mozambique, I've been to Rwanda two months after the genocide, I walked the killing fields in Cambodia and I was in Chile three days after Pinochet was demitted from office".
Gray held his seat of East Lothian in the 2011 Holyrood election; however, his majority was the narrowest of his political career – just 151 over the SNP, making the Holyrood seat for the first time a Labour–SNP marginal. He announced on May 6 that he would stand down in the Autumn.
External links
- Iain Gray biography at the Scottish Parliament website
- Scottish Government biography
- Gray becomes Scots Labour leader BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
- Labour frontline team announced BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...