Shirley-Anne Somerville
Shirley-Anne Somerville (born 2 September 1974) is a Scottish politician serving as Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills since May 2021, having previously served as Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People from 2018 to 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Dunfermline since 2016 and an additional member for the Lothians region from 2007 to 2011.
Somerville also served as a Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science from 2011 to 2016. She was a director of Yes Scotland between May 2012 and November 2013.
Early life
Somerville was born on 2 September 1974 in Kirkcaldy[1] and attended Kirkcaldy High School, followed by the University of Strathclyde, where she took a B.A. (Hons.) in Economics and Politics (1996), the University of Stirling, where she took a Diploma in Housing Studies (1999), and Queen Margaret University, where she took a Diploma in Public Relations. She worked as a parliamentary researcher for Duncan Hamilton MSP from 1999–2001, then as a Policy and Public Affairs Officer at the Chartered Institute of Housing from 2001 to 2004, and as a Media and Campaigns Officer at the Royal College of Nursing from 2004 to 2007.[2]
Political career
Somerville had stood as the SNP's candidate for Kirkcaldy at the 2001 UK general election, where she came in 2nd place with 22.2% of the vote, and for the Edinburgh Central constituency in the 2007 Scottish Parliament election, where she came in 3rd place with 25.5% of the vote. On 31 August 2007, Stefan Tymkewycz resigned his seat in the Scottish Parliament representing the Lothians region in order to concentrate on serving as a City of Edinburgh councillor,[3] and Somerville was selected by the party to succeed him. However she lost her seat at the 2011 election.
On the launch of the cross-party Yes Scotland campaign in 2012, Somerville was announced as its director of communities.[4] She later stood as the SNP candidate in the Dunfermline by-election, 24th October 2013, coming second behind Cara Hilton of Scottish Labour. She did not return to her position in Yes Scotland after the by-election.[4]
In the Scottish Parliament election of 2016, Somerville again stood in the Dunfermline constituency. This time she was successful in securing the seat, defeating Cara Hilton on a majority of 4,558 votes.
In May 2016, she was appointed Minister of Further Education, Higher Education and Science. Following a cabinet reshuffle, she later succeeded Jeane Freeman as Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People. In February 2021, Christina McKelvie announced a short medical leave. Her role was covered by Somerville as minister for equalities and older people.[5]
In a cabinet reshuffle on 19 May 2021, she succeeded Deputy First Minister John Swinney as Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills.[6][7]
See also
References
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External links
- Scottish Parliament profiles of MSPs: Shirley-Anne Somerville
- profile on Scottish Government website
- profile on SNP website
- Articles with short description
- Use British English from November 2019
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- Pages with broken file links
- Ministers of the Scottish Government
- 1974 births
- Living people
- People from Kirkcaldy
- People educated at Kirkcaldy High School
- Alumni of the University of Strathclyde
- Alumni of the University of Stirling
- Alumni of Queen Margaret University
- Scottish public relations people
- Scottish National Party MSPs
- Members of the Scottish Parliament 2007–2011
- Members of the Scottish Parliament 2016–2021
- Women members of the Scottish Government
- Members of the Scottish Parliament 2021–
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