Richard Arkless
Richard Arkless | |
---|---|
Member of Parliament for Dumfries and Galloway | |
In office 7 May 2015 – 3 May 2017 | |
Preceded by | Russell Brown |
Succeeded by | Alister Jack |
Personal details | |
Born |
Stranraer, Scotland, UK | 7 July 1975
Political party | Scottish National Party |
Alma mater |
Glasgow Caledonian University University of Strathclyde |
Richard Lambert Thomas Arkless (born 7 July 1975) is a Scottish National Party politician, who was elected as MP for Dumfries and Galloway at the 2015 UK general election on 7 May of that year.[1][2][3]
Background and education
Arkless was born in Stranraer in 1975.[4] He spent an early part of his childhood living in London.[4] He returned to Stranraer when he was eight years old.[4]
He received a BA in Financial Services from Glasgow Caledonian University and has an LLB from the University of Strathclyde.[5]
Political career
Arkless began to advocate Scottish independence after the 2007 Scottish Parliamentary election in which the SNP were elected as a minority government for the first time. After a year, he said the SNP were "doing a pretty good job". When the SNP won a majority in the 2011 Scottish Parliamentary election, he said in a May 2015 interview with The National, "I began to really research the figures – the GDP and tax-take – and I was completely and utterly astonished. I couldn't believe that Scotland had a higher per capita GDP, and much higher per capita tax-take over each of the last thirty-five years. I was flabbergasted and asked myself why I had believed completely the opposite all my life without every trying to make it evidence based."[6]
Standing for the SNP at the 2015 UK general election, Arkless received 23,440 votes, 41.4% of those cast, winning with a majority of 6,514 votes.[2] He defeated Labour's Russell Brown, who had held the Dumfries and Galloway seat since it's creation ten years prior in 2005.[7][8][9][10] His wife Anne worked as his personal assistant.[11] Arkless lost his seat in the UK 2017 general election to conservative MP Alister Jack. He received 16,701 votes, 32.4% of those cast.[12]
Business career
Arkless left his job as a solicitor to run an online business.[13]
References
- ↑ "List of Members returned to Parliament at the General Election 2015 Scotland". The Edinburgh Gazette. 15 May 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- 1 2 Haswell, Alex (8 May 2015). "UK Parliamentary Elections Results 2015 for the Dumfries and Galloway County". dumgal.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- ↑ "Election 2015: Dumfries & Galloway Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Your MP elect: Richard Arkless". itv News. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- ↑ "My CV". richardarkless.scot. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- ↑ Burns, Janice (30 May 2015). "Meet Your New Scottish MPs: #16 Richard Arkless Dumfries and Galloway". The National.
- ↑ Jones, Philip N. (5 May 2005). "General Election–Dumfries and Galloway County Constituency–May 2005". dumgal.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- ↑ "Election 2005: Result: Dumfries and Galloway". BBC News. 6 May 2005. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- ↑ Haswell, Alex (7 May 2010). "General Election – Dumfries and Galloway Constituency – May 2010". dumgal.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- ↑ "Election 2010: Dumfries & Galloway". BBC News. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- ↑ Michael Wilkinson, Christopher Hope, (29 June 2015). "One in five MPs employs a family member: the full list revealed". Daily Telegraph.
- ↑ "Dumfries & Galloway parliamentary constituency - Election 2017". BBC News. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ↑ "Richard Arkless, Author at Business for Scotland". Business for Scotland.
External links
- Personal webpage
- Profile on SNP website
- Richard Arkless on Twitter
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 2010–present
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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Preceded by Russell Brown |
Member of Parliament for Dumfries and Galloway 2015–2017 |
Succeeded by Alister Jack |