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| Iain Gray MSP | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 13 September 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Wendy Alexander |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 3 May 2007 |
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| Preceded by | John Home Robertson |
| Majority | 2,448 (7.1%) |
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| In office 6 May 1999 – 1 May 2003 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency Created |
| Succeeded by | David McLetchie |
| Majority | 2,885 (7.3%) |
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| Born | 7 June 1957 Edinburgh, Scotland, UK |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
Iain Gray (born 7 June 1957) is a Scottish Labour politician, who has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament for East Lothian since 2007, and previously represented Edinburgh Pentlands from 1999 to 2003. Since 2008, he has been the Leader of the Scottish Labour Party.
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Early life
Gray was educated at Inverness Royal Academy and George Watson's College before studying physics at the University of Edinburgh. After graduation he worked as a maths and physics teacher at Gracemount High School in Edinburgh, before a stint in Mozambique. He then spent twelve years as the Campaigns Director for the Scottish arm of the aid charity Oxfam.
Political career
Immediately after his election to Holyrood he was made a deputy minister in the first Scottish Executive in 1999 and following Jack McConnell's becoming First Minister he was promoted to Minister for Social Justice. After the surprise resignation of Wendy Alexander in 2002, Gray took over her role as Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning, where he was responsible for overseeing significant changes to Scottish higher education and was widely-regarded for his handing of economic activity issues.
In the 2003 election he was defeated by the then Scottish Conservative leader David McLetchie, whom he had beaten in 1999. After leaving Holyrood, he worked as a special advisor to the Scottish Office under Alistair Darling and initially announced he would not be seeking re-election. In early 2005 he suffered a severe infection of the parotid salivary glands, which curbed his political career for almost a year. However he was selected as the Labour candidate for East Lothian for the 2007 elections and subsequently won re-election.
Gray was appointed Labour's shadow spokesman for enterprise, energy and tourism upon his return to Parliament.
In July 2008, Gray announced 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.
Outside interests
Outside of politics, Iain Gray is a season ticket holder at Easter Road, the home of Hibernian F.C. He enjoys reading[citation needed], music, barbecues and attempting to grow bonsai trees. He used to play football and karate, but now enjoys the gym.
References
External links
- Iain Gray MSP biography at the Scottish Parliament website
- Scottish Government biography
- Gray becomes Scots Labour leader BBC News
- Labour frontline team announced BBC News
| Scottish Parliament | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Constituency Created |
Member of the Scottish Parliament for Edinburgh Pentlands 1999–2003 |
Succeeded by David McLetchie |
| Preceded by John Home Robertson |
Member of the Scottish Parliament for East Lothian 2007–present |
Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Wendy Alexander |
Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning 2002–2003 |
Succeeded by Jim Wallace |
| Preceded by Jackie Baillie |
Minister for Social Justice 2001-2002 |
Succeeded by Margaret Curran |
| Preceded by Angus MacKay |
Deputy Minister for Justice 2000–2001 |
Succeeded by Richard Simpson |
| Preceded by Office Created |
Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care 1999–2000 |
Succeeded by Malcolm Chisholm |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Wendy Alexander |
Leader of the Scottish Labour Party 2008–present |
Incumbent |
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