David Stewart (Scottish politician) explained

David Stewart
Office:Convener of the Public Petitions Committee
Term Start:14 June 2011
Term End:17 May 2016
1Namedata:Tricia Marwick
Predecessor:Rhona Brankin
Successor:Johann Lamont
Embed:yes
Office:Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Highlands and Islands
Term Start:3 May 2007
Term End:25 March 2021
Office1:Member of Parliament
for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber
Term Start1:1 May 1997
Term End1:11 April 2005
Predecessor1:Constituency established
Successor1:Constituency abolished
Office1:Scottish Labour portfolios
Suboffice1:Shadow Minister for the Eradication of Poverty and Inequality
Subterm1:2019–2020
Birth Date:5 May 1956
Birth Place:Inverness, Scotland
Birthname:David John Stewart
Party:Scottish Labour
Spouse:Linda Stewart

David John Stewart (born 5 May 1956) is a Scottish politician who served as convener of the Public Petitions Committee from 2011 to 2016. A member of the Scottish Labour Party and Co-operative Party, he was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Highlands and Islands region from 2007 to 2021 and was Member of Parliament (MP) for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber from 1997 to 2005.

Early political career

Stewart stood unsuccessfully for the Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber constituency in Scotland in 1987 and 1992.[1] Before 1997, he had been a member of Labour's Scottish Executive Committee.

House of Commons

On 1 May 1997 he became the first Labour Member of Parliament for the Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber constituency in Scotland and was re-elected at the following election in 2001. During his time as an MP, he was a member of the Scottish Affairs and Work and Pensions Select Committees.[1] He was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Alistair Darling, Secretary of State for Scotland 2003–2005. In 2005 the constituency was reformed to Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey and he stood for election but lost to Liberal Democrat candidate Danny Alexander.[2]

After Westminster

After leaving the Commons on 5 May 2005,[1] Stewart found employment in July 2005 as assistant director for rural affairs with the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations.[3]

Scottish Parliament

In May 2007 he returned to parliamentary life, this time to the Scottish Parliament as a list MSP for the Highlands and Islands electoral region.[4] In October 2008, the Labour Leader in the Scottish Parliament, Iain Gray, appointed him as the Chief Whip of the Labour Party in Holyrood.[5] In September 2019, he was made Labour's Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Eradication of Poverty and Inequality under Richard Leonard.[6] In June 2020, he announced that he would stand down from Parliament at the next election.[7]

Stewart nominated Anas Sarwar in the 2021 Scottish Labour leadership election.[8]

Personal life

He is married to Linda, who stood in the 2007 Scottish Parliament election as Labour Party candidate for the Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber constituency but failed to be elected.[9] They were both selected by party members to stand as Labour candidates in North of Scotland constituencies for the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.[10]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: UK Parliament > MPs and Lords > Find MPs > Mr David Stewart . parliament.uk . . 1 July 2020.
  2. News: Lib Dems gain new Inverness seat . BBC News . 6 May 2005 . 30 June 2020.
  3. News: Former Labour MP takes job with voluntary group . . 20 July 2005 . 30 June 2020.
  4. Web site: Previous MSPs: Session 3 (2007-2011): Stewart, David MSP . Scottish Parliament . www.parliament.scot . 30 June 2020 . 5 February 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160205060457/http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msps/26665.aspx . dead .
  5. News: Scottish Labour's front bench team . . 31 December 2009 . 11 October 2014.
  6. News: Scottish Labour reshuffle as Sarah Boyack returns to frontline politics. www.scotsman.com. en. 2019-09-04.
  7. News: Veteran Labour MSP David Stewart to retire at next election . Iain . Ramage . STV News . 9 June 2020. 1 July 2020.
  8. Web site: Scottish Leadership Election 2021 - Nominations. 2021-01-26. Scottish Labour. en.
  9. News: Election shows politics runs in the family. 1 May 2007. Herald (Glasgow). 11 October 2014.
  10. News: Inverness husband and wife team in Holyrood election double act . Laurence . Ford . . 13 October 2015. 1 July 2020.