Daniel Sanderson, Scottish Political Correspondent
ANOTHER senior Tory MSP has announced that he is standing down next year,
clearing the way for an influx of fresh blood on the party’s benches.
Sir Jamie McGrigor, who has had a seat in the Scottish Parliament since it
was reestablished in 1999 and represented the Highlands and Islands region,
said he had reached retirement age and it was the “appropriate time” to
step aside.
It means that seven of the 15 Tories currently in Holyrood will not be
standing for re-election, with Annabel Goldie and Mary Scanlon among the
other party MSPs stepping down.
Sir Jamie said: “After 16 years in the Scottish Parliament, I have reached
retirement age and think it is now appropriate time to stand aside,
especially as we have some young, very talented candidates in the Highlands
and Islands region.
“I will be sad to go as serving as an MSP for the Highlands and Islands has
been the privilege of a lifetime. I shall treasure many memories of people,
places and events. Much has changed since I first took my seat in 1999, but
the essentials remain the same.
“Politicians should always seek to represent the views and the feelings of
their constituents, and I have always sought to bring the Highlands &
Islands viewpoint to Edinburgh in everything I do.
“I intend to keep representing Highland & Island views right up until my
retirement next year, so that the Scottish Conservatives return their best
election ever.”
Sir Jamie, an old Etonian baronet, was also one of the first MSPs to
successfully put through a Private Member’s Bill into law, as the driving
force behind the establishment of the Scottish Register of Tartans.
However, his time at Holyrood has not been without controversy. It emerged
that Sir Jamie, his party’s environment spokesman, stood to make £8 million
from a wind farm development after he struck a deal with energy company RWE
in 2011. The application from the developer was knocked back earlier this
year, although it is being appealed with a decision expected in the coming
weeks.
He was also banned from driving in 2009 for four months for repeatedly
speeding. Sir Jamie tried to escape the ban by arguing his constituents
would suffer “exceptional hardship” if his licence was revoked. The
argument was rejected by the courts.
The MSP, a guitarist, is also known for entertaining delegates at Scottish
Conservative conferences by performing his own songs. He has also performed
at music festivals under his stage name, ‘the Midnight Shepherd’.
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Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson said: “Quite simply, for 16 years, Jamie
has been a champion for the Highlands and Islands. But more than that,
across Scotland, he has become a much-loved figure who has brought colour,
humanity and warmth to public life.
“His brand of decent, principled politics has been a feature of the
Scottish Parliament since its inception and I know politicians of all
parties will miss him. I wish him the very best for the future and I thank
him deeply for his many years of service.”
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