Jeremy Balfour

Jeremy Balfour MSP


Member of the Scottish Parliament for Lothian
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 May 2016

Personal details
Born	(1967-03-11) 11 March 1967 Edinburgh, Scotland
Political party	Scottish Conservative Party
Alma mater	University of Edinburgh London Bible College

Jeremy Ross Balfour (born 11 March 1967) is a Scottish politician who is a Scottish Conservative and Unionist Member of Scottish Parliament for the Lothian region, elected in the Scottish Parliament election, 2016.

Background

Balfour was born with a physical disability which left him with no left arm and a right arm that ends at the elbow from which two elongated fingers protrude. He attended Edinburgh Academy and then Edinburgh University. After work as a solicitor he studied at London Bible College to become a Baptist Minister.^[1]

Political career

Balfour was elected to City of Edinburgh Council, representing Corstorphine/Murrayfield.

In 2016 he stood for the Scottish Parliament as the Conservative candidate for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, where he came third.^[2] He was instead elected from the Lothian regional list.^[3]

Balfour is the Scottish Conservative spokesperson for childcare and early years.^[4] He sits on the Equal Opportunities Committee of the Scottish Parliament ^[5] Balfour is the only current MSP who openly identifies as a disabled person.^[6]

References

↑ "Disability is no obstacle in my life". scotsman. 24 November 2005.
↑ "Midlothian North and Musselburgh". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
↑ "Lothian". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
↑ "Scottish Conservative appointments for new parliamentary term". Scottish Conservative Party. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
↑ "Membership". Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
↑ "Inclusion Scotland highlight the lack of disabled MSPs". Falkirk Herald. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2016.

External links

profile at City of Edinburgh Council website

Scottish Conservatives MSPs
Elected in the 2016 election; See also: Members of the 5th Scottish Parliament
Leadership	Ruth Davidson (Leader) Jackson Carlaw (Deputy Leader and culture, tourism and external affairs)
Frontbench members	Murdo Fraser (Finance) Dean Lockhart (Economy, jobs and fair work) Donald Cameron (Health and sport) Elizabeth Smith (Education and skills) Adam Tomkins (Communities, social security, the constitution and equalities Peter Chapman (Rural economy and connectivity) Maurice Golden (Environment, climate change and land reform)
Backbenchers	Jeremy Balfour Michelle Ballantyne Bill Bowman Miles Briggs Alexander Burnett Finlay Carson Maurice Corry Jamie Greene Jamie Halcro Johnston Rachael Hamilton Alison Harris Liam Kerr Gordon Lindhurst Tom Mason Margaret Mitchell Edward Mountain Oliver Mundell John Scott Graham Simpson Alexander Stewart Annie Wells Brian Whittle

Members of the Scottish Parliament in the Lothian region
Elected in the 2016 election
Constituency MSPs	Angela Constance (SNP, Almond Valley) Ruth Davidson (Con, Edinburgh Central) Ash Denham (SNP, Edinburgh Eastern) Ben Macpherson (SNP, Edinburgh Northern and Leith) Gordon MacDonald (SNP, Edinburgh Pentlands) Daniel Johnson (Lab, Edinburgh Southern) Alex Cole-Hamilton (Lib Dem, Edinburgh Western) Fiona Hyslop (SNP, Linlithgow) Colin Beattie (SNP, Midlothian North and Musselburgh)
Additional members	Jeremy Balfour (Con) Miles Briggs (Con) Kezia Dugdale (Lab) Neil Findlay (Lab) Alison Johnstone (Green) Gordon Lindhurst (Con) Andy Wightman (Green)
SNP (6 seats), Conservative (4 seats), Labour (3 seats), Greens (2 seats), Liberal Democrats (1 seat)

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