Màiri McAllan

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Màiri McAllan
MSP
Official portrait, 2023
Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy
Assumed office
8 February 2024
First MinisterHumza Yousaf
Preceded byNeil Gray
Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition[a]
In office
29 March 2023 – 8 February 2024
First MinisterHumza Yousaf
Preceded byMichael Matheson
Succeeded byFiona Hyslop
Minister for Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform
In office
20 May 2021 – 29 March 2023
First MinisterNicola Sturgeon
Preceded byBen Macpherson
Succeeded byVacant
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Clydesdale
Assumed office
6 May 2021
Preceded byAileen Campbell
Majority4,578 (7.5%)[1]
Personal details
BornGlasgow, Scotland
Political partyScottish National Party
Alma materUniversity of Glasgow

Màiri Louise McAllan is a Scottish politician serving as Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy since 2024. She previously served as Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition[a] from 2023 to 2024 and Minister for Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Clydesdale since 2021. McAllan is a former corporate solicitor, who also served as a special advisor to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon prior to her election to the Scottish Parliament.[2]

Early life[edit]

McAllan grew up and was educated in Biggar, South Lanarkshire, then studied Scots law at the University of Glasgow, also spending time at the University of Ghent in Belgium.[3]

Her father Ian is also a politician who has served as a local councillor for South Lanarkshire's Clydesdale East ward (which covers Biggar) since 2017.[3]

Before entering politics, McAllan co-founded human rights organisation RebLaw Scotland, which aims to use the law as a tool in the fight for social justice and held its first conference in 2017, worked as a corporate lawyer specialising in energy and natural resources and was a voluntary director of East Ayrshire's Women's Aid.[4][5]

Political career[edit]

She stood unsuccessfully in Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale at the 2017 United Kingdom general election, where she came second to Conservative incumbent David Mundell.[6]

McAllan served as a special advisor in the Scottish Government on environmental matters. First to then Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham and then to then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.[7][8]

On 6 May 2021 she was elected as Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Clydesdale.[1]

On 19 May 2021, McAllan was appointed to the new government as Minister for Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform.[9][10] During her time as Environment Minister McAllan was responsible for scrapping the Scottish Governments' net zero target of 75% emission reduction by 2030, instead reverting to the UK target of 2045.[11]

Personal life[edit]

In February 2024, she and her husband Iain announced the pregnancy of her first child.[12] She plans to take maternity leave in the summer.[13] As a government minister she intends to return in March 2025.[14]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Just Transition (March 2023–June 2023).

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Scotland Election 2021 > Clydesdale". BBC News. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Mairi McAllan: A lifelong local, a lawyer and an adviser to the First Minister". The National. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  3. ^ a b "SNP choose Mairi to fight Mundell for rural Clydesdale". carlukegazette.co.uk. 15 May 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Mairi McAllan: Meet the SNP Holyrood candidate for Clydesdale". national.scot. 14 November 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Are you a rebel lawyer? Insight into the RebLaw Scotland social justice movement". benchmarkadvocates.co.uk. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  6. ^ Bark, Stephen (11 July 2021). "Political calling came early for Clydesdale MSP Màiri McAllan". Daily Record. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Mairi McAllan: A lifelong local, a lawyer and an adviser to the First Minister". The National. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  8. ^ "The minister in charge of saving the world defends Scotland's record on climate chang". Sunday Post. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Nicola Sturgeon appoints new health and education secretaries". BBC News. 19 May 2021. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021.
  10. ^ "New Scottish Cabinet - gov.scot". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  11. ^ "Scottish government scraps climate change targets". BBC News. 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  12. ^ "Economy secretary to take maternity leave in summer". BBC News. 25 February 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  13. ^ "Scottish economy secretary Mairi McAllan announces pregnancy". The Independent. 25 February 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  14. ^ Kendix, Max; Gilmour, Lauren (13 March 2024). "I'll be back, says Mairi McAllan as she announces pregnancy". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 13 March 2024.

External links[edit]

Political offices
Preceded by Minister for Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform
2021–present 		Incumbent
Scottish Parliament
Preceded by Member of the Scottish Parliament for Clydesdale
2021–present 		Incumbent


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