Marco Biagi (born 31 July 1982) is a
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party (SNP; sco, Scots National Pairty, gd, Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic political party in Scotland. The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish independence from ...
(SNP) politician. He served as the
Minister for Local Government and Community Empowerment
The Minister for Local Government Empowerment and Planning ( gd, Ministear airson Cumhachd Riaghaltas Ionadail agus Dealbhaidh) is a junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. As a result, the Minister does not attend the Scottish Cab ...
from 2014 to 2016, and as the
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP; gd, Ball Pàrlamaid na h-Alba, BPA; sco, Memmer o the Scots Pairliament, MSP) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.
Electoral system
The ad ...
(MSP) for
Edinburgh Central from 2011 to 2016. From 2022, he serves as councillor for the Colinton/Fairmilehead ward.
Early life
Biagi was born in
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
, West Dunbartonshire on 31 July 1982 to Mary and Antonio Biagi, a
fish-and-chip shop owning
Scots-Italian family.
He attended secondary school at
Hermitage Academy in
Helensburgh
Helensburgh (; gd, Baile Eilidh) is an affluent coastal town on the north side of the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, situated at the mouth of the Gareloch. Historically in Dunbartonshire, it became part of Argyll and Bute following local governm ...
.
He studied
International Relations
International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...
at the
University of St Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
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, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
, and in 2002 was elected to take a one-year
sabbatical
A sabbatical (from the Hebrew: (i.e., Sabbath); in Latin ; Greek: ) is a rest or break from work.
The concept of the sabbatical is based on the Biblical practice of ''shmita'' (sabbatical year), which is related to agriculture. According to ...
from study to serve as Vice-President (Representation) of the
Students' Association
A students' union, also known by many other names, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, ...
. In that year he also managed the unsuccessful campaign of
Germaine Greer
Germaine Greer (; born 29 January 1939) is an Australian writer and public intellectual, regarded as one of the major voices of the radical feminist movement in the latter half of the 20th century.
Specializing in English and women's literatu ...
for election to the post of
Rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
. He graduated with a
First
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
in 2005.
[Scottish Parliament biography](_blank)
Retrieved 23 March 2014. Biagi then began postgraduate study at
Wadham College
Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road.
Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy W ...
,
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, but subsequently left and returned to Scotland.
In 2007 he began working for new MSP
Keith Brown and moved to the SNP central staff in 2009. After studying part-time for two years while working, he completed a master's degree at
Glasgow University
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, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms
Flag
, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
, ...
in 2010.
In Parliament
Biagi won the seat of
Edinburgh Central in the
2011 Scottish Parliament election
The 2011 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday, 5 May 2011 to Members of the 4th Scottish Parliament, elect 129 members to the Scottish Parliament.
The election delivered the first majority government since the opening of Holyrood, ...
s, defeating the Labour incumbent
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 ...
by a narrow margin of 237 votes but achieving only the second lowest share of the vote of any successful SNP constituency candidate. He is understood to be the youngest person to have won election to the
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyro ...
in a constituency seat.
When he was sworn in as an MSP he took the oath in his native English and also Italian.
His
maiden speech
A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament.
Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country. In many Westminster system governments, there is a convention th ...
was in praise of
renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...
on 2 June 2011 followed by staging the first Member's Debate of the parliamentary term on 8 June in support of the campaign for the
UK Green Investment Bank
Green Investment Group Limited (GIG) is a specialist in green infrastructure principal investment, project delivery and the management of portfolio assets, and related services.
The business was launched initially by the UK government in 2012 a ...
to be situated in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
. Although the campaign was successful, Biagi changed to a more critical stance when it emerged that the majority of staff were nonetheless based in London rather than his constituency.
Biagi has also been a persistent critic of the
Edinburgh tram project, which runs through Edinburgh Central, and which he described as "an overpriced downgrade" after suggestions that it would have a longer journey time than the existing airport bus.
He publicly supported the retention of the SNP's policy of non-
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
membership in 2012 against a change proposed by the party's leadership, a stance which the deputy leader of the
Scottish Conservatives
The Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party ( gd, Pàrtaidh Tòraidheach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Tory an Unionist Pairty), often known simply as the Scottish Conservatives and colloquially as the Scottish Tories, is a centre-right political par ...
suggested resulted in him being passed over for promotion as a Minister that autumn. After
Jean Urquhart
Jean Urquhart (born 17 May 1949) is a Scottish politician. She was formerly a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP), first elected in 2011 for the Highlands and Islands region as a Scottish National Party (SNP) member, then continuing to s ...
resigned from the SNP over the NATO policy change Biagi replaced her as Deputy Convener of the Scottish Parliament's
Equal Opportunities Committee in October 2012.
In 2013 Biagi laid amendments to the Post-16 Education (Scotland) Bill to create duties on agencies including the
Scottish Funding Council
The Scottish Funding Council (Scottish Gaelic: '; SFC), referred to more formally as the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council, is the non-departmental public body charged with funding Scotland's further and higher education i ...
to support widening access to further and higher education, which were passed by Parliament with
Scottish Government support. Shortly after he was elected as Honorary President of the
Federation of Student Nationalists
SNP Students (also known as the Federation of Student Nationalists) is the student wing of the Scottish National Party (SNP), representing students in Scottish higher education. It was formed in 1961 when various student organisations supportiv ...
.
Openly gay since before he was elected, for his contributions in support of the passage of Scotland's
same-sex marriage bill Biagi was named on the inaugural
Scotland on Sunday
''Scotland on Sunday'' is a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published in Edinburgh by JPIMedia and consequently assuming the role of Sunday sister to its daily stablemate ''The Scotsman''. It was originally printed in broadsheet format but in 2013 ...
Pink List of 50 influential
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term is a ...
Scots in 2014.
Biagi joined the Scottish Government as
Minister for Local Government and Community Empowerment
The Minister for Local Government Empowerment and Planning ( gd, Ministear airson Cumhachd Riaghaltas Ionadail agus Dealbhaidh) is a junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. As a result, the Minister does not attend the Scottish Cab ...
in November 2014.
While in this role, in February 2015, he was appointed as co-chair of the
Commission on Local Tax Reform – a cross-party group set up by the Scottish Government, tasked with examining alternatives to the
Council Tax
Council Tax is a local taxation system used in England, Scotland and Wales. It is a tax on domestic property, which was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, replacing the short-lived Community Charge
The Community C ...
.
After Parliament
Biagi began a PhD in political science at
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
in the autumn of 2016, studying comparative politics.
In 2020 he sought a return to elected politics and put himself forward for selection as the SNP's candidate for
Edinburgh Central. Party members chose
Angus Robertson
Angus Struan Carolus Robertson (born 28 September 1969) is a Scottish politician serving as the Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture since 2021. Former Depute Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 201 ...
as their candidate instead.
In 2020 he started work at SNP HQ to lead the party's independence task force as a consultant. However, in 2021 he quit, posting on social media that, "the best job offer I've ever had turn out to be worst job I've ever had". He added that he was disappointed that SNP members in Edinburgh Central had decided they would, "rather have a pompous impressionable idiot than me".
He was elected as a local councillor for the Colinton/Fairmilehead ward in
The City of Edinburgh Council
The City of Edinburgh Council is the Local government in Scotland, local government authority for the city of Edinburgh, capital of Scotland. With a population of in mid-2019, it is Subdivisions of Scotland#Council areas, the second most populo ...
election on 5 May 2022.
City of Edinburgh – Election Results Ward 8 Colinton/Fairmilehead
/ref>
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biagi, Marco
1982 births
Living people
Alumni of the University of Glasgow
Alumni of the University of St Andrews
Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford
People from Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire
Scottish National Party MSPs
Members of the Scottish Parliament for Edinburgh constituencies
Members of the Scottish Parliament 2011–2016
Scottish people of Italian descent
Scottish Unitarians
Gay politicians
LGBT members of the Scottish Parliament
People educated at Hermitage Academy