Neil Gray

Neil Gray
MP
SNP Employment Spokesman
Assumed office
30 September 2015
Leader Angus Robertson
Preceded by Hannah Bardell
Member of Parliament
for Airdrie and Shotts
Assumed office
8 May 2015
Preceded by Pamela Nash
Majority 195 (0.5%)
Personal details
Born (1986-03-16) 16 March 1986
Kirkwall, Scotland
Political party Scottish National Party
Children 1 daughter
Alma mater University of Stirling

Neil Charles Gray (born 1986) is a Scottish National Party politician. He has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Airdrie & Shotts since the general election in May 2015.

Early life

Gray was born and brought up in Orkney, and was educated at Kirkwall Grammar School.[1] He graduated from the University of Stirling in 2008 with a first-class Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in politics and journalism.[2]

Following his graduation, Gray was employed as a producer and reporter with BBC Radio Orkney from 2003 until 2008.

Political career

Gray worked as a press and research intern for the SNP parliamentary group at the Scottish Parliament.[3] Grey was also employed by Alex Neil MSP from 2008, being appointed as constituency office manager in 2011.[3]

The selection process for the Airdrie SNP candidacy, which Neil Gray ultimately won, was not without controversy. Former diplomat Craig Murray was nominated as a potential candidate at an Airdrie Branch meeting but did not make the final list as he failed SNP candidate vetting, whereupon he commented that "I think in both Airdrie & Shotts and in Falkirk it's evident who the party hierarchy wants to be the candidate."[4] Former Policeman and SNP Councillor Alan Beveridge resigned from the party in February 2015 after Neil Gray was selected, claiming that there was a "climate of fear, intimidation and false allegations within the party" which were highlighted in the selection process.[5][6]

In September 2016, Gray as a member of the new Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster proposed "the Joint Committee declines to consider a draft Report until it has given full consideration to the possibility of constructing a permanent new Parliamentary building, while finding an alternative future use for the Palace of Westminster; notes that this option was included in the Pre-Feasibility Study and Preliminary Strategic Business Case published in October 2012 but was rejected by the House of Commons Commission and the House of Lords House Committee at that stage; and resolves to apply the same rigorous scrutiny to the possible construction of a new Parliamentary building as it has applied to the other options for delivering the Restoration and Renewal Programme, before making a recommendation about the best option for carrying out the works" [7] the committee voted 11/1 against this proposal. In 2017 he held his seat, Airdrie and Shotts, with a vastly reduced majority.

Personal life

Outside politics Gray was formerly a keen athlete, representing Scotland at 400m, until a serious knee injury ended his career in athletics.[8]

See also

Parliament of the United Kingdom Relocation

References

  1. ↑ "Orkney man elected SNP MP for Airdrie and Shotts". The Orcadian. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  2. ↑ Hardie, Warren (15 May 2015). "Trio of Stirling Alumni Elected As Part Of Nationalist Surge". Brig (University of Stirling). Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  3. 1 2 Burns, Janice (14 May 2015). "Meet your new Scottish MPs: #3 Neil Gray, Airdrie & Shotts". The National. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  4. ↑ Tom Gordon (28 December 2014). "Torture whistle-blower's anger at SNP 'stitch-up' after election block". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  5. ↑ Andrew Whitaker (10 February 2015). "SNP councillors quit over candidacy selection row". The Scotsman. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  6. ↑ "Lanarkshire councillors quit in SNP target area - BBC News". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  7. ↑ "Select Committee On Science And Technology" (PDF). 2016–2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  8. ↑ Leftly, Mark (11 October 2016). "Neil Gray: We cannot artificially crowbar a 21st century parliament into an old palace". www.politicshome.com. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Pamela Nash		 Member of Parliament
for Airdrie and Shotts
2015–present 		Incumbent
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