Graham Simpson (politician)

Graham Simpson is a British politician and former journalist who has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Central Scotland region since 2016. A member of the Scottish Conservatives, he served as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity from 2020 to 2021.

Graham Simpson
MSP
Studio portrait, 2016
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Central Scotland
(1 of 7 Regional MSPs)
Assumed office
5 May 2016
Scottish Conservative portfolios
Feb–Aug 2020Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Communities and Social Security
2020–2021Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity
Personal details
BornAberdeen, Scotland
Political partyConservative
OccupationPolitician
WebsiteOfficial website

He was a councillor in South Lanarkshire Council between 2007 and 2017. Within Parliament, Simpson is the Conservative Party Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Communities and Social Security and sits on the Local Government and Communities Committee. Simpson is also the Deputy Convenor of the cross party group on Cycling, Walking and Buses, Deputy Convenor of the cross party groups on Life Sciences and Architecture and the Built Environment as well as a member of the Beer & Pubs and Housing cross party groups.

Early career

Simpson worked as a journalist for 26 years at News Corporation, rising to the position of deputy chief sub-editor of The Scottish Sun.[1] He also worked briefly at the Daily Record.[2]

Political career

Westminster candidacies

Simpson was the Conservative parliamentary candidate for the East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow constituency at the 2010 general election, finishing third of six candidates with 6,613 votes (13%).[3] He stood again at the 2015 general election, again finishing third of six, increasing his number of votes to 7,129 but seeing his share of the vote drop to 11.8%.[4]

Scottish Parliament

For the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, Simpson was selected in to contest the East Kilbride constituency and was placed second on the Conservatives' Central region list,[5] behind Margaret Mitchell MSP and ahead of Alison Harris MSP. Margaret Mitchell was re-elected and both Simpson and Harris were elected to the Scottish Parliament for the first time on the Central region list.[6] The electoral region represented by Simpson covers East Kilbride, Motherwell and Wishaw and Airdrie and Shotts.

In the 2016–21 Scottish Parliament, Simpson is Scottish Conservative spokesperson for Housing and Communities,[7] convener of the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee and a member of the Local Government and Communities Committee. He is also a member of the following Cross-Party Groups: Beer And Pubs, Cycling, Walking and Buses, Housing and Life Sciences.

In September 2017, Simpson was criticised after claiming there are "no-go areas" in some parts of Scotland's major cities. The SNP said his comments echoed those of Donald Trump, who was widely condemned after saying police were frightened to enter some parts of London and Paris.[8]

References
  1. "Graham Simpson, Member of Scottish Parliament for Central Scotland".
  2. "Graham Simpson". www.parliament.scot.
  3. "2010 General Election - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow". Parliament.uk. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  4. "2015 General Election - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow". Parliament.uk. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  5. "List rankings announced for four Scottish regions - Scottish Conservatives". Scottish Conservatives. 12 December 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  6. Hamilton Advertiser (6 May 2016). "The SNP sweep to victory across Lanarkshire in the Scottish Parliament election". Daily Record. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  7. "MSPs". Scottish Conservatives. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  8. Green, Chris (14 September 2017). "Tory MSP Graham Simpson criticised for saying Scotland has 'no-go areas'". i News.
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