Michael Matheson (politician)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Michael Matheson
MSP
Cabinet Secretary, Michael Matheson.jpg
Official portrait, 2021
Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport[1]
Assumed office
26 June 2018
First MinisterNicola Sturgeon
Preceded byOffice established
Cabinet Secretary for Justice
In office
21 November 2014 – 26 June 2018
First MinisterNicola Sturgeon
Preceded byKenny MacAskill
Succeeded byHumza Yousaf
Minister for Public Health
In office
20 May 2011 – 21 November 2014
First MinisterAlex Salmond
Preceded byShona Robison
Succeeded byMaureen Watt
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Falkirk West
Assumed office
3 May 2007
Preceded byDennis Canavan
Majority11,280 (35.1%)
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Central Scotland
In office
6 May 1999 – 3 May 2007
Personal details
Born (1970-09-08) 8 September 1970 (age 51)
Glasgow, Scotland
Political partyScottish National Party
Children3
Alma materQueen Margaret University
Open University
ProfessionOccupational therapist

Michael Stephen Matheson (born 8 September 1970) is a Scottish politician serving as Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport[n 1]since 2018. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), he has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) since 1999, first representing the Central Scotland region and, since 2007, the Falkirk West constituency.

He previously served as Cabinet Secretary for Justice from 2014 to 2018 and Minister for Public Health from 2011 to 2014.

Early life[]

Birth and education[]

Michael Stephen Matheson was born on 8 September 1970 in Glasgow. He was raised in the Toryglen district and educated at John Bosco Secondary School in the city. He then attended Queen Margaret University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in occupational therapy in 1991. He later went on to graduate from the Open University with both a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Postgraduate diploma in applied social sciences.[2] Following graduation, he worked as a community occupational therapist for eight years, until his election to the Scottish Parliament.

Early political career[]

Matheson worked for Highland Regional Council, Central Regional Council and Stirling Council. He first stood as a parliamentary candidate for the SNP in the 1997 general election, standing for the newly created Hamilton North and Bellshill constituency.

Member of the Scottish Parliament[]

In the 1999 Scottish parliamentary election, Matheson contested the Falkirk West constituency, which was won by the independent Dennis Canavan, who had been rejected by the Labour Party.[3] However, Matheson was ranked third on the SNP's regional list for Central Scotland and was one of the five SNP candidates elected in the region.

He served as Shadow Deputy Minister for Justice from May 1999 until September 2004, and as Shadow Deputy Minister for Rural Development from October 2001 until September 2004. Matheson also served on the Equal Opportunities Committee, the Justice and Home Affairs Committee, and the Justice 1 Committee between 1999 and 2004.[4] During the 2000 SNP deputy leadership election, he was the campaign manager for Roseanna Cunningham.

He contested the Falkirk West constituency again at the 2003 Scottish parliamentary election, and although it was won again by Denis Canavan, Matheson was re-elected as one of three SNP MSPs for Central Scotland. In the parliament's second session he served on the Justice 1 Committee, the Enterprise and Culture Committee and the Justice 2 Committee. From September 2004 until September 2006, he was Shadow Minister for Culture and Sport.[5]

Matheson and Baden-Württemberg Justice and European Affairs Minister Guido Wolf.

Matheson won the constituency in the 2007 election with a majority of 776 votes over Labour, after Canavan stepped down.[3] (Canavan later endorsed Matheson for re-election in 2011).[3]

Matheson was a member of the Health and Sport Committee from June 2007 until March 2011 and was the Deputy Convener of the European and External Relations Committee from March 2009 until July 2010.[6] He was also a member of the End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill Committee.[6]

Before becoming a Minister, Matheson was actively involved in a number of Parliamentary Cross-Party Groups, including those on Malawi, Sport, Alzheimer's disease, International development, Russia and Taiwan.

At the 2011 Scottish parliamentary election, he retained his seat with an increased majority of 5,745 votes over Labour.

He was appointed as Minister for Public Health after the SNP landslide in 2011, a position he held until the November 2014 reshuffle which saw him promoted to cabinet rank as Cabinet Secretary for Justice. In a cabinet reshuffle in 2018, he was shifted to Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity. In 2021, his portfolio changed, with infrastructure and connectivity being replaced with net zero and energy, becoming Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport.

References[]

  1. ^ The office was known as Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity from 2018 to 2021.
  1. ^ Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity (2018–2021)
  2. ^ Michael Matheson Personal Twitter Account 26/11/2016
  3. ^ a b c Dinwoodie, Robin (30 April 2011). "The Canavan endorsement could swing it again for confident Nationalists". The Herald. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  4. ^ "Previous MSPs: Session 1 (1999–2003): Michael Matheson MSP". Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  5. ^ "Previous MSPs: Session 2 (2003–2007): Michael Matheson MSP". Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Previous MSPs: Session 3 (2007–2011): Michael Matheson MSP". Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 14 May 2016.

External links[]

Scottish Parliament
New parliament Member of the Scottish Parliament for Central Scotland
1999–2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the Scottish Parliament for Falkirk West
2007–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Minister for Public Health
2011–2014 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Cabinet Secretary for Justice
2014–2018 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from ""