Alex Neil (politician)
| Alex Neil MSP |
|
|---|---|
 |
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| Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners' Rights | |
| Assumed office 21 November 2014 |
|
| First Minister | Nicola Sturgeon |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing | |
| In office 5 September 2012 – 21 November 2014 |
|
| First Minister | Alex Salmond |
| Preceded by | Nicola Sturgeon |
| Succeeded by | Shona Robison |
| Member of the Scottish Parliament for Airdrie and Shotts |
|
| Assumed office 6 May 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Karen Whitefield |
| Majority | 2,001 (8.4%) |
| Member of the Scottish Parliament for Central Scotland |
|
| In office 6 May 1999 – 6 May 2011 |
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| Preceded by | new parliament |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 August 1951 Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland |
| Political party | Labour Party (1967-1976) Scottish Labour Party (1976–1985) Scottish National Party (1985–present) |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of Dundee |
| Occupation | Political researcher; Businessman; Economic consultant |
| Religion | Church of Scotland |
Alexander "Alex" Neil (born 22 August 1951) is a Scottish politician who has been Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners' Rights since 2014 and is the Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Airdrie and Shotts.
Contents
Early life and education
Neil was born in Ayrshire Central Hospital, Irvine, the son of Alexander Neil snr, a coalminer, and Margaret Neil (née Gunning). He was brought up in Patna, Ayrshire, and became involved in Labour politics, joining the Labour Party in 1967, aged sixteen. He was educated at Ayr Academy, before attending the University of Dundee, where he studied Economics. He served as chairman of both the Scottish Organisation of Labour Students and later the UK-wide National Organisation of Labour Students.
Political career
Early years
After graduating with an MA (Hons) degree in 1974, Neil was appointed as the first-ever research officer for the Scottish Executive Committee of the Labour Party. In 1976, Neil, along with Jim Sillars and John Robertson, left the Labour Party to form the breakaway group, the Scottish Labour Party (SLP). Neil served as General Secretary of the SLP from 1976 to 1979. By 1979 the SLP had collapsed and Neil fell out of active politics until 1985 when he joined the Scottish National Party (SNP).
SNP
Neil would go on to become the SNP's Publicity Director, and then in charge of the party's policy, as well as a candidate in the 1989 Glasgow Central by-election and candidate in the Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency in both the 1992 and 1997 General Elections.
Member of the Scottish Parliament
In 1999 he was elected SNP regional list MSP for Central Scotland in the first Scottish Parliament.
The following year he stood unsuccessfully for the leadership of the SNP against John Swinney in a hard fought contest. Thereafter he was appointed chair of the Scottish Parliament's Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee, a role he kept on until 2003.
Neil is on the left of the SNP, and is known as a fundamentalist, critical of the gradualist wing.
In 2003 he was re-elected as SNP MSP for Central Scotland to the Scottish Parliament.
In July 2004, Neil announced that he would not be a candidate in the impending contest for the leadership of the SNP, despite the fact that he believed he had considerable support within the party. He said that the reason for his decision was that senior figures in the party (such as MSP Fergus Ewing and former SNP leader Alex Salmond) had made it clear publicly that they would not work with him as leader.
In 2004 Neil was appointed chair of the Enterprise and Culture Committee. He was also a co-convenor of the Scottish Parliament's Cross-Party Group on the Scottish Economy.
Neil emerged as a leading supporter of former policewoman Shirley McKie as she bid to win compensation from the Scottish Government following her acquittal from perjury charges.
He was again re-elected as a regional MSP for Central Scotland in 2007. He sat on the European and External Relations Committee and the Finance Committee from 2007–2009, upon his promotion to Scottish Minister.
Government Minister
In the first reshuffle of the SNP Government since it took office in 2007, Neil was appointed as the Minister for Housing and Communities in February 2009.[1] He was promoted to Cabinet by Alex Salmond to become the new Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment after the SNP's landslide win in the 2011 Scottish election.
He was moved from that post to the post of Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing in September 2012. After Nicola Sturgeon became First Minister of Scotland in November 2014, Alex Neil was appointed to the new post of Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners' Rights.
In 2011 Neil defeated Karen Whitefield in the Airdrie and Shotts constituency, gaining a majority of 2001, a 5.5% swing from Labour to SNP.[2] He was promoted to the Scottish Cabinet on 19 May 2011.
In May 2014 Neil survived a vote of no confidence 57-67. Opposition MSPs had alleged he had acted improperly by cancelling changes to mental health provision when he took up his post as Health Secretary.[3]
Political Positions
Neil is a proponent of reducing access to abortion in Scotland to below the existing 24 week limit.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ Cabinet and ministers at-a-glance, BBC Scotland Politics
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External links
| Scottish Parliament | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the Scottish Parliament for Central Scotland 1999–2011 |
Succeeded by Richard Lyle |
| Preceded by | Member of the Scottish Parliament for Airdrie and Shotts 2011–present |
Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by
Stewart Maxwell (as Minister for Communities and Sport)
|
Minister for Housing and Communities 2009–2011 |
Succeeded by Keith Brown (as Minister for Housing and Transport) |
| Preceded by
Office created
|
Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2011–2012 |
Succeeded by Nicola Sturgeon |
| Preceded by | Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing 2012–2014 |
Succeeded by Shona Robison |
| Preceded by
Office created
|
Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners' Rights 2014–present |
Incumbent |
- Ministers of the Scottish Government
- 1951 births
- Living people
- People from East Ayrshire
- Alumni of the University of Dundee
- Health ministers of Scotland
- Members of the Scottish Parliament 1999–2003
- Members of the Scottish Parliament 2003–07
- Members of the Scottish Parliament 2007–11
- Members of the Scottish Parliament 2011–
- Scottish Labour Party (1976) politicians
- Scottish National Party MSPs
