Pam Gosal (born 25 April 1972) is a

Scottish Conservative 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 ...

politician who has been a

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 West Scotland since May 2021. She is one of the first women of colour elected to the Scottish parliament, alongside

Kaukab Stewart Kaukab Stewart (born 1967/68) is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician who has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow Kelvin since May 2021. At the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, she became one of the first wom ...

, and is also the first woman of

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

descent and non-practising

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

to serve as an elected member of the Scottish Parliament.

Background

Pam Gosal was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland. She helped run her family business before working in Local Government prior to being elected to the Scottish Parliament.

Political career

Gosal stood in

East Dunbartonshire East Dunbartonshire ( sco, Aest Dunbartanshire; gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Bhreatainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the north of Glasgow and contains many of the affluent areas to the north of the city, including Bear ...

at the

2019 United Kingdom general election The 2019 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 12 December 2019. It resulted in the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party receiving a Landslide victory, landslide majority of 80 seats. The Conservatives made a net gain of 4 ...

and came in third place. She ran in the

2021 Scottish Parliament election The 2021 Scottish Parliament election took place on 6 May 2021, under the provisions of the Scotland Act 1998. All 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament were elected in the sixth election since the parliament was re-established in 1999. The ele ...

as the Conservative candidate for Clydebank and Milngavie and West Scotland. Gosal finished third in the Clydebank and Milngavie seat, but she was elected as a

(MSP) for West Scotland. She is the first Sikh and first woman of Indian background to be elected as an MSP to the Scottish Parliament. On 13 May 2021, Gosal and Stewart were sworn in as the first minority female MSPs. She took her oath in Punjabi as well as English. In June 2023, she was appointed Deputy Chairwoman of the Scottish Conservatives and Deputy Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government.

Political opinions

She is an advocate of introducing a domestic violence register in Scotland.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gosal, Pam 1972 births Living people Scottish Sikhs People from East Dunbartonshire Politicians from Glasgow Scottish people of Indian descent Conservative MSPs Members of the Scottish Parliament 2021–2026 Female members of the Scottish Parliament Scottish Conservative Party parliamentary candidates

Background

Political career

Political opinions

See also

References

External links