Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale, (born 30 June 1960) is a Scottish politician who served as
First Minister of Scotland and
Leader of the Labour Party in Scotland
The office of Leader of the Scottish Labour Party was established when the Scottish Parliament was formed in 1999 and prior to its inaugural election. Until the Murphy and Boyack review in 2011, the office was Leader of the Labour Party in the ...
from 2001 to
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...
. McConnell served as the
Minister for Finance
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
from 1999 to 2000 and
Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs
The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, commonly referred to as the Education Secretary, is a position in the Scottish Government Cabinet responsible for all levels of education in Scotland. The Cabinet Secretary is supported by the Mi ...
from 2000 to 2001. He has been a
Labour life peer in the
House of Lords since 2010 and previously served as a
Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for
Motherwell and Wishaw from
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
to
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...
.
Born in
Irvine,
Ayrshire
Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of R ...
, McConnell studied at the
University of Stirling and worked as a
mathematics teacher at
Lornshill Academy
Lornshill Academy is a six-year comprehensive school situated in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland. Approximately 1030 pupils are enrolled with the school. Lornshill currently employs approximately 80 teachers and around 30 support staff. Lo ...
. His political career began when he was elected to the
Stirling District Council
Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling, gd, Siorrachd Sruighlea) is a historic county and registration countyRegisters of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. of Scotland. Its county town is Stirling.
It borders Perth ...
, while he was still teaching. He served as a member of the
Scottish Constitutional Convention, having campaigned in-favour for a
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of the capital ...
in the 1997 devolution referendum. Elected to serve as an MSP for the
Motherwell and Wishaw constituency in the
1999 Scottish Parliament election
The first election to the devolved Scottish Parliament, to fill 129 seats, took place on 6 May 1999. Following the election, the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats formed the Scottish Executive, with Labour Member of the Scottish Parliam ...
, McConnell was appointed
Minister for Finance
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
under the
Donald Dewar government. After
Dewar's death in 2000, he ran unsuccessfully for the
leadership of the Labour Party in Scotland, having been defeated by
Henry McLeish
Henry Baird McLeish (born 15 June 1948) is a Scottish politician, author and academic who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Labour Party in Scotland from 2000 to 2001. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Central Fife from ...
.
McLeish appointed McConnell as
Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs
The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, commonly referred to as the Education Secretary, is a position in the Scottish Government Cabinet responsible for all levels of education in Scotland. The Cabinet Secretary is supported by the Mi ...
.
In 2001, McLeish resigned in the aftermath of the
Officegate scandal and McConnell was elected unopposed as the Scottish Labour leader. He was appointed First Minister on 22 November 2001, becoming the youngest office holder. As first minister, he implemented a ban on smoking in public places, signed
a Co-operation Agreement with Malawi, and successfully bid for the
2014 Commonwealth Games
The 2014 Commonwealth Games ( gd, Geamannan a' Cho-fhlaitheis 2014), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014, ( sco, Glesca 2014 or Glesga 2014; gd, Glaschu 2014), was an international multi-sport ev ...
to be hosted in
Glasgow. In the
2007 Scottish Parliament election
The 2007 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the third general election to the devolved Scottish Parliament since it was created in 1999. Local elections in Scotland fe ...
, the Labour Party in Scotland became the second largest party, with the
SNP having one seat more. This therefore lead to McConnell losing office, becoming the first First Minister to have been defeated from office.
After losing office as first minister, McConnell sat as the
Leader of the Opposition in Holyrood, until his resignation as leader. He sat as a backbencher and stood down as an MSP in the
2011 election. In 2010, McConnell became a member of the
House of Lords of the United Kingdom. He made a commitment to continuing his work to tackle poverty in Africa and to develop the relationship between Scotland and
Malawi.
Early life
Birth and family
Jack Wilson McConnell was born on 30 June 1960 in
Irvine,
Ayrshire
Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of R ...
. He is the eldest of four children born to William Wilson McConnell (1937–2018) and Elizabeth McCallum McConnell (
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Jack; 1936–2020). McConnell was brought up on Glenscorrodale Farm near
Lamlash on the
Isle of Arran
The Isle of Arran (; sco, Isle o Arran; gd, Eilean Arainn) or simply Arran is an island off the west coast of Scotland. It is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde and the seventh-largest Scottish island, at . Counties of Scotland, Histor ...
, where his father was a sheep farmer and a member of the Arran Farmer’s Society. He was educated at Lamlash Primary and Arran High School.
Education and early career
McConnell attended the
University of Stirling, where he was President of the
Students' Association from 1980 to 1982 and National Union of Students Scotland Vice-President from 1982 to 1983. He met
Margo MacDonald
Margo Symington MacDonald (''née'' Aitken; 19 April 1943 – 4 April 2014) was a Scottish politician, teacher and broadcaster. She was the Scottish National Party (SNP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow Govan from 1973 to 1974 and was D ...
and
Richard Leonard
Richard Leonard (born January 1962) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 2017 to 2021. He has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP), as one of the additional members for the Central Scotland r ...
at university.
In the late 1970s, he occupied the principal's office in protest against student homelessness. He also took part in a siege to occupy the administration offices at the university and slept in sleeping bags in the university’s court room.
He graduated in 1983 with a BSc
Dip Ed.
After graduating, McConnell worked as a
mathematics teacher at
Lornshill Academy
Lornshill Academy is a six-year comprehensive school situated in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland. Approximately 1030 pupils are enrolled with the school. Lornshill currently employs approximately 80 teachers and around 30 support staff. Lo ...
in
Alloa
Alloa (Received Pronunciation ; educated Scottish pronunciation /ˈaloʊa/; gd, Alamhagh, possibly meaning "rock plain") is a town in Clackmannanshire in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It is on the north bank of the Forth at the spot where ...
,
Clackmannanshire
Clackmannanshire (; sco, Clackmannanshire; gd, Siorrachd Chlach Mhannainn) is a historic county, council area, registration county and Lieutenancy area in Scotland, bordering the council areas of Stirling, Fife, and Perth & Kinross and the h ...
. In
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
, McConnell was elected to the
Stirling District Council
Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling, gd, Siorrachd Sruighlea) is a historic county and registration countyRegisters of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. of Scotland. Its county town is Stirling.
It borders Perth ...
, while still teaching at Lornshill.
He served as Treasurer from 1988 until 1992, and was the Leader of the council from 1990 to 1992.
Early political involvement
McConnell initially joined the
Scottish National Party when he was 16 years old. After trying to come to terms with
Scottish nationalism, he suspended his membership and instead joined the
Scottish Labour Party when he was 19.
From 1992 to 1998, McConnell served as the
General Secretary of the Labour Party in Scotland
The Organisation of Scottish Labour is a body established under the national rules of the UK Labour Party.
Timeline
Origins and evolution of Scottish Labour
* In August 1888, after contesting the Mid Lanarkshire by-election, Keir Hardie co ...
.
His major breakthrough was in his handling of the
1997 General Election success, where Labour attained a large overall majority victory over the
Conservatives
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization ...
. Together the Labour Party in Scotland, the Scottish Liberal Democrats, and the
Scottish National Party eliminated every seat the Conservatives held in Scotland. In 1998, he served as a member of the
Scottish Constitutional Convention where he pioneered the
Scottish devolution referendum success, establishing the
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of the capital ...
.
As a strong proponent of
Scottish devolution
Devolution is the process in which the central British parliament grants administrative powers (excluding principally reserved matters) to the devolved Scottish Parliament. Prior to the advent of devolution, some had argued for a Scottish Par ...
, McConnell helped push for reform. Between 1989 and 1998 he was a member of the
Scottish Constitutional Convention, where he was playing an important role in the creation of the
Scotland Act, which created a Scottish Parliament for the first time.
Member of the Scottish Parliament (1999–2001)
Election to Holyrood
As General Secretary, he managed Labour Party in Scotland's successful YES YES devolution referendum campaign in 1997. Following the successful devolution campaign and the creation of a
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of the capital ...
, McConnell was elected as an MSP, for Motherwell and Wishaw, in the first Scottish Parliament in May 1999.
Finance Minister; 1999–2000
He was appointed immediately by
Donald Dewar, the then First Minister, to the post of
Minister of Finance. As Finance Minister one of his primary jobs was to establish the budgeting procedures for the new
Scottish government, which included consulting the public on budget priorities. As Minister responsible for External Relations he established Concordats with the UK Government and opened Scotland House in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
.
McConnell was elected an
MSP in the first
Scottish Parliament elections in 1999. He was appointed
Minister for Finance
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
in the new
Scottish Executive by then First Minister
Donald Dewar. One of his first moves as Finance Minister was to establish the budgeting procedures for the new Scottish Executive, including publishing a consultation document asking the public and MSPs how the budget should be spent. His department also passed the Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000 through Parliament, which set out the finance and auditing procedures of the Executive.
Education Minister; 2000–2001
On 11 October 2000, Dewar died of a
brain haemorrhage
Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...
. After the Labour leadership intervened to stop the Enterprise Minister
Henry McLeish
Henry Baird McLeish (born 15 June 1948) is a Scottish politician, author and academic who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Labour Party in Scotland from 2000 to 2001. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Central Fife from ...
being appointed Dewar's successor without a vote, McConnell stood in the leadership contest. The election was held on Saturday 21 October, only 72 hours after Dewar's funeral, and the surprise result saw McConnell defeated with 36 votes to McLeish's 44 votes.
McLeish appointed him
Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs
The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, commonly referred to as the Education Secretary, is a position in the Scottish Government Cabinet responsible for all levels of education in Scotland. The Cabinet Secretary is supported by the Mi ...
. Some analysts considered this post to be a "poisoned chalice", as he would be required to resolve both
a crisis in the
Scottish Qualifications Authority over exam marking, and pay disputes with the teaching unions.
Leadership of the Scottish Labour Party
McLeish resigned as first minister on 8 November 2001 over the
Officegate scandal, regarding the sub let of his
constituency
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...
office. McConnell was seen by many political analysts as the likely successor and he later launched his bid for leader. On 13 November, McConnell made a press conference in Edinburgh after reports emerged he had an
extra-marital affair
An affair is a sexual relationship, romantic friendship, or passionate attachment in which at least one of its participants has a formal or informal commitment to a third person who may neither agree to such relationship nor even be aware of i ...
seven years prior. He admitted to having an affair and in a statement with his wife,
Bridget McConnell
Bridget Mary McConnell, Baroness McConnell of Glenscorrodale, (born 28 May 1958) is a Scottish cultural administrator and current Chief Executive Officer oGlasgow Life the charity responsible for delivering culture and sport in Glasgow. McConnel ...
, he stated: "If I become first minister, it would be very wrong for my family or anybody else to suffer because my behaviour then is still a secret today. That is why we are now being open about the fact that I did have an affair seven years ago. At the time I made mistakes, including denying the facts publicly and privately".
McConnell emerged as the only candidate and on 17 November, he was officially elected unopposed as
Leader of the Labour Party in Scotland
The office of Leader of the Scottish Labour Party was established when the Scottish Parliament was formed in 1999 and prior to its inaugural election. Until the Murphy and Boyack review in 2011, the office was Leader of the Labour Party in the ...
after receiving the support of 97.23% of MSPs. In his acceptance speech, he stated he was "deeply honoured to receive such overwhelming support" and highlighted that much work still needed to be done "to make devolution a success" and achieve "first class public services".
First Minister of Scotland (2001–2007)
First term; 2001–2003
McConnell was nominated for the post of First Minister by a vote of the
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of the capital ...
on 22 November, defeating
Scottish National Party leader
John Swinney
John Ramsay Swinney (born 13 April 1964) is a Scottish politician who has served as Deputy First Minister of Scotland since 2014 and Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery since 2021. He was the Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from ...
,
Scottish Conservative leader
David McLetchie
David William McLetchie CBE (6 August 1952 – 12 August 2013) was a Scottish politician who served as Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 1999 to 2005. He was Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Edinburgh Pentlands c ...
and
Independent MSP
Dennis Canavan
Dennis Andrew Canavan (born 8 August 1942) is a Scottish politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Falkirk West from 1974 to 2000 (known as West Stirlingshire from 1974 to 1983), first as a member of the Labour Party, and then as an I ...
by 70 votes to 34, 19 and 3 respectively. On 27 November, the
Queen issued him a
Royal Warrant of Appointment and he was sworn in at the
Court of Session
The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland and constitutes part of the College of Justice; the supreme criminal court of Scotland is the High Court of Justiciary. The Court of Session sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh ...
in Edinburgh. As a result of him becoming First Minister, he was appointed
Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland and to the
Privy Council, earning the title '
The Right Honourable' for life. McConnell continued to led the Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition that had existed under the
Dewar and
McLeish administrations.
Cabinet appointments
Shortly after being appointed McConnell began making appointments to his cabinet.
Jim Wallace
James Robert Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness, (born 25 August 1954) is a Scottish politician serving as a Liberal Democrat life peer in the British House of Lords since 2007 and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland ...
remained in the post of deputy first minister while Cathy Jamieson took over Mr McConnell's education brief and
Wendy Alexander and
Ross Finnie
James Ross Finnie (born 11 February 1947) is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician and a former Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP). He is a former Minister for the Environment and Rural Development in the Scottish Executive, and Member ...
remained as ministers.
Sam Galbraith
Samuel Laird Galbraith (18 October 1945 – 18 August 2014) was a Scottish politician and neurosurgeon who served as Minister for Environment, Sport and Culture from 2000 to 2001 and Minister for Children and Education from 1999 to 2000. Galbr ...
and
Angus MacKay stood down and
Jackie Baillie
Jacqueline Marie Baillie (' Barnes; born 15 January 1964) is a Scottish politician who has served as Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party since 2020. She has been Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Dumbarton constituency sinc ...
,
Sarah Boyack
Sarah Herriot Boyack (born 16 May 1961) is a Scottish Labour politician who has served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Lothian region since 2019, and previously from 2011 to 2016. She formerly represented the Edinburgh Cent ...
and
Tom McCabe
Thomas McCabe (28 April 1954 – 19 April 2015) was a Scottish politician who served as Minister for Parliament from 1999 to 2001 and Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform from 2004 to 2007. A member of the Scottish Labour Party, he ...
reshuffled out of government, while
Susan Deacon
Susan Catherine Deacon (born 2 February 1964) is a former Scottish Labour politician, and public figure who has held leadership roles across the private, public and third sectors, and in academia and national politics.
She was the Member of the ...
was offered the post of social justice minister but refused the offer and moved to the
backbenches
In Westminster and other parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a member of parliament (MP) or a legislator who occupies no governmental office and is not a frontbench spokesperson in the Opposition, being instead simply a member of the ...
.
Cathy Jamieson,
Mike Watson,
Malcolm Chisholm
Malcolm George Richardson Chisholm (born 7 March 1949) is a Scottish politician who served as Minister for Health and Community Care from 2001 to 2004 and Minister for Communities from 2004 to 2006. A member of the Scottish Labour Party, he ...
,
Iain Gray
Iain Cumming Gray (born 7 June 1957) is a Scottish politician who served as Leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 2008 to 2011. He was the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the East Lothian constituency from 2007 to 2021, having p ...
,
Patricia Ferguson
Patricia Josephine Ferguson (born 24 September 1958, Glasgow) is a Scottish Labour Party politician who was the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow Maryhill constituency from 1999 until 2011 and for Glasgow Maryhill and Springb ...
and
Andy Kerr Andrew Kerr (1878–1969) was an American football coach.
Andrew or Andy Kerr may also refer to:
*Andrew Kerr (Australian politician)
Andrew Taylor Kerr (10 November 1837 – 15 November 1907) was an Australian politician.
He was born at Gr ...
were all promoted to cabinet.
Sporting event bids
In February 2002, Scotland joined forces with the Republic of Ireland in a bid to host the
2008 European Football Championship
The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of European ...
. McConnell was initially unconvinced that it was worth spending around £100 million on the tournament, but he later put his support behind the joint bid with the Irish.
Although the bid lost out to Austria/Switzerland, McConnell later supported other attempts to land major supporting events including London's successful bid for the
2012 Olympic Games
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
and
Glasgow's bid for the
2014 Commonwealth Games
The 2014 Commonwealth Games ( gd, Geamannan a' Cho-fhlaitheis 2014), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014, ( sco, Glesca 2014 or Glesga 2014; gd, Glaschu 2014), was an international multi-sport ev ...
.
Sectarianism
In December 2002, McConnell launched his government's campaign against sectarianism.
Second term; 2003–2007
McConnell was re elected MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw at the Scottish Parliament elections. The Labour Party in Scotland won 50 seats, the largest number, and formed
another coalition government with the Liberal Democrats which won 17 seats. On 15 May, McConnell was re appointed First Minister of Scotland and on the same day the Scottish government published A Partnership for a Better Scotland which set out the government's priorities for the four-year term ahead.
This was followed by the “Fresh Talent initiative” which was created and developed to focus at addressing the demographic decline in Scotland and ageing Scottish population by attracting young and skilled immigrants, primarily from other
European Union countries (such as
Poland and
Slovakia primarily) to be attracted to Scotland as a place to live and work.
Public smoking ban
One of McConnell's most famous achievements during his tenure in government was the successful campaign to ban smoking in Scottish public places, such as
pubs,
public transport and
restaurants, making Scotland the first country within the United Kingdom to do so, which lead to McConnell receiving praise for his leadership on this issue, ultimately leading other countries to follow.
McConnell attended the
31st G8 summit
The 31st G8 summit was held on 6–8 July 2005 at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland and hosted by Prime Minister Tony Blair. The locations of previous G8 summits to have been hosted by the UK include: London (1977, 1984, 1991); an ...
which was held in
Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland, and welcomed guests invited to the conference to
Glasgow Prestwick Airport on arrival.
2007 Scottish election
The
Scottish Parliament general election of 3 May 2007 saw McConnell re elected as the MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw with a majority of 5,938 votes, representing 48% of the vote with a turnout of 50.3%. The Labour Party in Scotland was defeated by the
SNP with the SNP winning 47 seats to Labour's 46, leaving the SNP short of an overall majority in the Parliament.
Post premiership
Labour in opposition; 2007–2011
Leader of the Opposition
As Labour was left the second largest party in Holyrood, the SNP was invited first to form a government. The Lib Dems turned down a coalition deal with the SNP and
Scottish Greens and ruled out a deal with Labour. On 16 May 2007, the election to nominate a first minister in the Scottish Parliament was held, with Alex Salmond receiving 49 votes to 46, as the Lib Dems and Conservatives abstained. The following day, the SNP officially formed the
first nationalist administration of the Scottish Executive and McConnell became
Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
.
On 17 May 2007, McConnell told Salmond he would abstain in a Parliament vote to appoint ministers. In his first speech as opposition leader, McConnell listed a series of 'hypocritical' remarks that SNP ministers had made about the Labour administration.
As Leader of the Opposition in Holyrood, McConnell took part in
First Minister's Questions (FMQs). In one session of FMQs, he claimed the new SNP administration was making several U-turns on
transport policy
Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, ...
and its position on
student debt and
council taxes.
Resignation as leader
On 15 August 2007, McConnell announced his intention to resign as
Leader of the Labour Party in Scotland
The office of Leader of the Scottish Labour Party was established when the Scottish Parliament was formed in 1999 and prior to its inaugural election. Until the Murphy and Boyack review in 2011, the office was Leader of the Labour Party in the ...
. In a statement, he said it was his "honour" to serve as leader and empathised the need for Labour to learn lessons following its defeat in May. Immediately after his resignation, he was nominated by Prime Minister
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in Tony B ...
to succeed
Richard Wildash
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stron ...
as
British High Commissioner to
Malawi. McConnell was succeeded as leader by
Wendy Alexander.
Backbench MSP
After his resignation, McConnell sat in Labour's opposition backbenches at Holyrood and continued to represent his
Motherwell and Wishaw constituency until the
2011 Scottish Parliament election
The 2011 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday, 5 May 2011 to elect 129 members to the Scottish Parliament.
The election delivered the first majority government since the opening of Holyrood, a remarkable feat as the Additional M ...
. On 28 May 2010, it was announced that McConnell would be made a
life peer and enter the
House of Lords as a
working peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages Ac ...
on behalf of the
Labour Party.
House of Lords; 2010–present
On 28 June 2010, he was created a
life peer as Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale, of the Isle of Arran in Ayrshire and Arran, and was
introduced in the
House of Lords the same day. In August 2010 he announced that he would not be seeking re-election to the Scottish Parliament.
Other positions
In August 2007, he was appointed an adviser to the
Clinton Hunter
Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...
Development Initiative in
Malawi and
Rwanda
Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equat ...
, and in October 2008, he was appointed by
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in Tony B ...
as the Prime Minister's Special Representative on Conflict Resolution Mechanisms, a position which ceased following Labour's defeat in the
2010 General election.
He is a UK Ambassador for
Action for Children
Action for Children (formerly National Children's Home) is a UK children's charity created to help vulnerable children & young people and their families in the UK. The charity has 7,000 staff and volunteers who operate over 475 services in the ...
; a Fellow of the
48 Group Club
The 48 Group Club (originally, the 48 Group of British Traders with China) is a London-based nonprofit organisation dedicated to promoting trade between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the United Kingdom. The group is named after a Britis ...
, which promotes relationships between the United Kingdom and China and an Ambassador for
Pump Aid
Pump Aid is an international non-profit organisation that was set up in 1998. It is headquartered in London and delivers all its services in Africa, mostly in Malawi. Pump Aid is a WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) NGO and is part of a world ...
. On 8 March 2012,
Optical Express announced the appointment of Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale joining the Board as non executive director. He was a non executive director at DCM (Optical Holdings) from 2011 to 2015. As of 30 November 2018 McConnell holds the position of Chancellor at the
University of Stirling.
Personal life
In 1990, McConnell married to
Bridget McConnell
Bridget Mary McConnell, Baroness McConnell of Glenscorrodale, (born 28 May 1958) is a Scottish cultural administrator and current Chief Executive Officer oGlasgow Life the charity responsible for delivering culture and sport in Glasgow. McConnel ...
, a cultural administrator and former
Chief Executive Officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
of Glasgow Life. They met in the late 1980s, where they both worked in
Stirling District Council
Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling, gd, Siorrachd Sruighlea) is a historic county and registration countyRegisters of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. of Scotland. Its county town is Stirling.
It borders Perth ...
. On 5 March 1991, a
sheriff ruled McConnell could become the
legal father of Bridget's children, Hannah and Mark; whom she had in her previous marriage with Richard Brown. During McConnell's
leadership bid for the Scottish Labour Party in November 2001, he revealed in a press conference that he had been involved in an
extra marital affair seven years previously. He admitted the affair had been "an open secret for seven years" and "It caused significant hurt to a number of people and I regret that very much to this day".
In 2016, McConnell refused to bail out his sister, Anne McConnell, who was jailed for stealing £9,000 from a disabled pensioner's bank account.
She told police she needed money to pay her
mortgage
A mortgage loan or simply mortgage (), in civil law jurisdicions known also as a hypothec loan, is a loan used either by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate, or by existing property owners to raise funds for any p ...
and blamed her crime on her menopause and hoped "Jack would help her pay it back".
See also
*
Politics of Scotland
The politics of Scotland operate within the constitution of the United Kingdom, of which Scotland is a home nation. Scotland is a democracy, being represented in both the Scottish Parliament and the Parliament of the United Kingdom since the Sco ...
*
Premiership of Jack McConnell
Jack McConnell's term as First Minister of Scotland began on 22 November 2001 when he was formally sworn into office at the Court of Session. It followed the resignation of Henry McLeish over the Officegate, Officegate scandal. His term e ...
References
Sources
*Davidson, Lorraine. ''Lucky Jack: Scotland's First Minister'' (2005), Black and White Publishing.
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:McConnell, Jack
1960 births
Living people
People educated at Arran High School
Alumni of the University of Stirling
Finance ministers of Scotland
First Ministers of Scotland
Labour MSPs
Labour Party (UK) life peers
Life peers created by Elizabeth II
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Members of the Scottish Parliament 1999–2003
Members of the Scottish Parliament 2003–2007
Members of the Scottish Parliament 2007–2011
People from Irvine, North Ayrshire
People from the Isle of Arran
Scottish schoolteachers
Leaders of Scottish Labour