Fergus Ewing | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2021 | |
| Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism[a] | |
| In office 18 May 2016 – 20 May 2021 | |
| First Minister | Nicola Sturgeon |
| Preceded by | Richard Lochhead |
| Succeeded by | Mairi Gougeon |
| Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism | |
| In office 20 May 2011 – 18 May 2016 | |
| First Minister | Alex Salmond Nicola Sturgeon |
| Preceded by | Jim Mather |
| Succeeded by | Paul Wheelhouse |
| Minister for Community Safety | |
| In office 17 May 2007 – 20 May 2011 | |
| First Minister | Alex Salmond |
| Preceded by | Johann Lamont |
| Succeeded by | Roseanna Cunningham |
| Member of the Scottish Parliament forInverness and Nairn Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber 1999–2011) | |
| Assumed office 3 May 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Parliament re-established |
| Majority | 9,114 (20.0%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1957-09-23)23 September 1957 (age 68) Glasgow, Scotland |
| Political party | Independent (2025–) Scottish National Party (until 2025)[b] |
| Spouse | |
| Parent | Winnie Ewing |
| Relatives | Annabelle Ewing (sister) |
| Education | Loretto School, Edinburgh |
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow |
Fergus Stewart Ewing (born 23 September 1957) is a Scottishindependent politician. Formerly a member of theScottish National Party (SNP), he served as theScottish Government'sCabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism from 2016 to 2021,[a] having previously held two junior ministerial posts.
From 2021 to 2025, Ewing was a perennial rebel in theScottish Parliament, frequently voting against the SNP leadership and voicing discontent with government policy. This eventually led to asuspension of the party whip in 2024. He has been aMember of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) since 1999, representingInverness East, Nairn and Lochaber until 2011, and then its successor seatInverness and Nairn.
Born in Glasgow, Ewing attendedLoretto School in Musselburgh. He graduated from theUniversity of Glasgow with anLLB and worked as a solicitor in the two decades prior to becoming an MSP. In thefirst election to the Scottish Parliament, which took place in 1999, both his wife,Margaret Ewing, and mother,Winnie Ewing, were elected to the parliament alongside him. In 2011, his sisterAnnabelle Ewing became an MSP too. Following the SNP victory in the2007 Scottish Parliament election Ewing held a series of posts in government until his departure in 2021. After that he became a vocal critic of government policy and was particularly opposed to the SNP'scooperation agreement with theScottish Greens.
In 2025, he announced that he would stand against the SNP in theInverness and Nairn constituency as an independent candidate in the2026 Scottish parliament election.
Ewing is the son of the veteran Scottish nationalistWinnie Ewing, who served as aMember of Parliament (MP) in theHouse of Commons, as aMember of the European Parliament (MEP), and an MSP.[1] His father, Stewart, was an accountant who also served as Winnie Ewing's election agent and had been an SNP councillor in Glasgow.[2][3][4]
Educated atLoretto School, inMusselburgh, he studied Law at theUniversity of Glasgow where he was a member of theGlasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association.[5] At the age of 18, he was employed as his mother's secretary in the European Parliament.[6] Before his election to theScottish Parliament in 1999, Ewing worked as a solicitor for around 20 years and ran his own legal practice.[2][7][8]
Ewing unsuccessfully contested the constituency ofInverness, Nairn and Lochaber in the1992 UK general election. The seat was a four way marginal with only 3.4% of the vote separating the first and fourth placed candidates.[9] He was again unsuccessful when contesting the newInverness East, Nairn and Lochaber constituency in the1997 UK general election.[10]
In theScottish Parliament election of 1999, he was elected to representInverness East, Nairn and Lochaber in the parliament. His mother,Winnie Ewing, and his wife,Margaret Ewing, were also successfully elected to the parliament.[11] He was re-elected in the 2003 Scottish Parliament election.[12]
Ewing served in a number of shadow ministerial roles during the first two sessions of the parliament. He was SNP Spokesperson on Rural Development (2001-2003); SNP Spokesperson on Public Services and Finance (2003-2004); and SNP Spokesperson on Transport, Telecommunications and Tourism (2004-2007).[13]
Both he and his mother Winnie abstained in the vote to pass theEthical Standards in Public Life etc. (Scotland) Act 2000, the legislation which abolishedSection 28 in Scotland.[14] In 2001, along withConservative andLiberal Democrat committee members, he opposed an outright ban onfox hunting whilst a member of the Rural Development Committee.[15]
After the SNP's victory at the2007 Scottish Parliament election, Ewing was appointed as theMinister for Community Safety by the First MinisterAlex Salmond.[16] In this role he served underKenny MacAskill, theCabinet Secretary for Justice.[17] This position involved him working with the fire service and he spoke at the UK-wideFire Brigade Union conference in 2010.[18] He was also responsible for the introduction of theFireLink system which improved the communication capabilities of the fire service in emergency situations.[19]
Additionally, Ewing's portfolio included dealing with antisocial behaviour. In 2009, he announced that the government believedAnti-social behaviour order (ASBOs) should be used "more sparingly" with a shift to focus on prevention and "tackling the symptoms of the problem."[20][21]
In the role, Ewing opposed the introduction of ID cards proposed by the UK Government saying they posed "an unacceptable threat to citizens' privacy and civil liberties".[22][23]
In the2011 Scottish Parliament election, Ewing was elected to represent the new constituency ofInverness and Nairn (the successor constituency of his previous seat). Following the election, he was appointed as theMinister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism, succeedingJim Mather who stood down as an MSP.[24] AfterNicola Sturgeon's appointment as First Minister in November 2014, Ewing's portfolio broadly remained the same but his post was renamed Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism.[25]
Ewing was supportive of an increased role for renewable energy in Scotland as well as a continuation of the extraction ofoil and gas in the North Sea.[26][27] In 2012, he advocated for extracting as much oil from theNorth Sea as possible: "To get the maximum recovery from every oil and gas field is the right thing for the planet as well as for a nation’s pocket. How can it make any sense to extract any oil from subsea, to the extent of 30 to 40 per cent and leave 60 or 70 per cent unused?"[27] However, he also supported an increased use of renewables, stating in 2015 that "Scotland has made great progress in increasing the amount of clean, green electricity in our energy mix."[28] And, in early 2015, he announced a moratorium on granting permission forfracking in Scotland while the government consulted on the issue.[29]
During his time as Tourism Minister the2014 Commonwealth Games took place in Glasgow. Ewing said that "theCommonwealth Games is not just a world class sporting event - it's also an opportunity to showcase Glasgow internationally as a first-class visitor destination."[30]
In 2015, he chaired a task force to investigate the future of Scottish steel afterTata Steel announced plans to close two plants in Lanarkshire.[31][32] A new buyer was found in 2016 and the plants were saved.[33]
Outside of his role as a minister, in February 2014 he voted against the legalisation ofsame-sex marriage in Scotland.[34] This was afree vote, where MSPs were not directed how to vote by their parties.[35]
Ewing retained his seat in the2016 election and was promoted to the cabinet asCabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity.[36][37] At the beginning of his time in post, the UKvoted to leave theEuropean Union and Ewing was later critical of a possibleno-deal Brexit saying that it would have "long-term irreparable consequences."[38] In 2017, he suggested that rural issues were some of the most impacted byBrexit due to the amount of funding Scottish farmers received from theCommon Agricultural Policy.[39]
While in office, Ewing oversaw the creation ofSouth of Scotland Enterprise, an economic development agency focused on the South of Scotland and similar toHighlands and Islands Enterprise.[40]
In February 2020, Ewing gained the tourism portfolio and his post was renamed Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism.[41] He was therefore involved in supporting the tourism sector in Scotland during theCOVID-19 pandemic. In June 2020, he said: "We have had to implement restrictions on liberties which have had a very serious impact on our economy, and our tourism and hospitality sector has been devastated."[42] He then announced the formation of a Scottish Recovery Tourism Taskforce to try and combat these issues.[43]
Reflecting on his period as Rural Economy Secretary in 2024, Ewing said that Sturgeon "just let me get on with rural affairs. I don't mean this in any malign way, but she didn't really have a particular interest in it and therefore I could do more or less what I felt was right without interference."[17]
In 2019, civil servants complained to senior managers that Ewing had bullied them. Speaking to journalists Ewing said: "I completely reject all claims against me. A process is underway and that is entirely right and proper when such allegations are made. That process is at an early stage. I will make no further comment while that process is ongoing."[44][45] The previous year Ewing apologised to an official for his "forthright" manner, after a bullying complaint was lodged against him.[46][47] Discussing the allegations in 2022 he said: "I think I got the best out of people on the vast majority of occasions but there are some occasions in life when you just don’t see eye to eye with people and things can escalate and become difficult. This is just as a matter of generality and I will leave it there."[48]
After the 2021 election, Ewing was replaced as a minister byMairi Gougeon and became abackbencher. In a public letter to First MinisterNicola Sturgeon, Ewing said: "In our discussion yesterday, you indicated that you will form a slimmed down cabinet. Obviously, you have had to make some tough decisions and we agreed that this meant I should now step out of Government."[49]
Ewing was a fierce critic of theScottish Government from the backbenches. In 2024, he said that following Sturgeon's accession to the role of First Minister in 2014 "the SNP almost felt like a cult" and that "gradually, things really started to go in the downhill direction at first. And then after 2021, things accelerated, and Nicola appeared to be obsessed with social issues likegender reform."[50] Defending his criticisms of the government, he said "if my constituents wanted a doormat, they would have gone toB&Q."[51]
In both the2023 and2024 SNP leadership elections, Ewing announced his support forKate Forbes.[52][53] During the 2024 contest he said that Forbes was the "future" and thatJohn Swinney, who was ultimately elected leader unopposed, was "associated with many of the problems of the past."[50]
Following the2021 Scottish Parliament election, the SNP entered a power-sharing agreement with theScottish Greens known as theBute House Agreement.[54] Ewing later said that after the Greens joined government he: "spoke out against it. I was the only person in my group to do so. I said that we would be tarnished by association."[17]
On the backbenches, Ewing opposed numerous policies pursued by thethird Sturgeon government and theYousaf government. He also frequently called for the cooperation agreement with the Greens to end.[55]
In 2022, along with eight other SNP MSPs, he voted against theGender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill.[56] The bill sought to make it easier for individuals to change theirlegal gender.[57]
Ewing was also a vocal opponent of theDeposit Return Scheme, acontainer return scheme which was the responsibility of Green ministerLorna Slater.[58] AtFirst Minister's Questions on 9 February 2023 he called the scheme "disastrous" and called on Nicola Sturgeon to halt its introduction before it became a "catastrophe."[59]
Additionally, he was highly critical of government proposals "to designate 10% of Scotland's seas asHighly Protected Marine Areas".[60] This would have prohibited all forms of fishing in the designated areas.[61] In May 2023, Ewing ripped up the HPMA consultation document in parliament and called it a "notice of execution" for the fishing industry.[62] The next day, along with fellow Highlands MSPsAlasdair Allan and Kate Forbes, he voted against the government in a motion on the issue.[63]
Ewing also repeatedly backed new oil and gas exploration and drilling projects in the North Sea, claiming that "we need all oil and gas production we can get in the short and the medium term", and that "the transition period away from hydrocarbons will last decades."[64] He condemned the Scottish Greens, the SNP'sgovernment partners, whose policies he described as "somewhat extreme".[65] On 20 April 2023, after a particularly robust intervention from Ewing on the subject of gas extraction during which he labelled the Greens "wine bar revolutionaries", he was reminded about treating fellow members with respect by theDeputy Presiding Officer, his sister,Annabelle Ewing. First MinisterHumza Yousaf then quipped that he suspected it was not the first time she had had to tell her brother off.[66]
Ewing voted against Green ministerLorna Slater in a confidence vote on 20 June 2023.[67] He was the only SNP MSP to do so.[68] It was reported the next day inThe Herald andThe Scotsman that Ewing wouldlose the whip because of this.[69][70] Later that day, his mother,Winnie Ewing died aged 93.[71] Humza Yousaf said publicly that Ewing would not lose the whip, despite his repeated public criticism of the party.[72]
However, it was announced on 14 September 2023 that SNP MSPs would vote on disciplinary action against him.[73] The MSPs voted to suspend him from the SNP group for one week by 48 votes to 9 (with 4 abstentions).[74] On 1 October, he announced he would appeal the suspension.[75] On 27 February 2024, Ewing lost the appeal and was suspended from the SNP for one week.[76] Following this decision Ewing described the SNP leadership as "authoritarian" and claimed the party "no longer tolerates a conscience vote."[55]
Following thecollapse of the Bute House Agreement in 2024, Ewing continued to be critical of the SNP government and to rebel on certain issues.
In March 2025, along with three other SNP MSPs he voted in favour of Conservative MSPLiz Smith's members bill to introduce a right for every child in Scotland to receive one weeksoutdoor residential education during their time at school.[77] And in May 2025, he criticised the government's Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act (atourist tax) which had been passed in 2024 saying that it "may cause the death knell, the death knell, of many hard-working, excellent bed and breakfast establishments in the Highlands and throughout the whole country" and was an "outrageous and poorly designed tax."[78]
He voted against theAssisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, which sought to legaliseassisted dying in Scotland, at stage one in March 2025.[79] This was a free vote where MSPs were not directed on how to vote by their parties.[80]
In June 2025, he left the SNP after announcing he would stand as an independent candidate in the2026 Scottish parliament election. This went against the party constitution and meant that, despite not formally quitting, he ceased to be a member.[81]
In March 2025, Ewing said that he would not be contesting the2026 Scottish Parliament election as an SNP candidate, though refused to rule out running as an independent.[82] Ewing said that "as a matter of honour, I simply cannot defend the lack of delivery" over key issues like the failure of theScottish Government todual the A9 and A96 roads.[83] Explaining why he did not stand down from the SNP group in parliament he said: "The party can change and, in my opinion, must do so. Independence is a cause unwon, but it’s not a lost cause. That is why I am not simply standing down now from the SNP group. I honour my own party membership, which I was born into and which is part of my very soul."[84] The following month, he told the audience of the BBC'sDebate Night that if he stood as an independent the SNP would throw the "kitchen sink and campervan" at him in the campaign, a reference to theOperation Branchform investigation into the party's finances and a motorhome taken by the police as part of the investigation.[85]
On 19 June 2025, Ewing announced that he would contest hisInverness and Nairn constituency as an independent candidate in the 2026 election.[86] Despite announcing his intention to stand against the SNP he declined to resign his membership.[87] Instead, he stated “I hope the SNP will change. And once again stand up for the interests of Scotland’s people. So, I have no desire to resign my membership – of nearly half a century. But will continue to work within as a critical friend. Indeed, a true friend cannot be other than that."[88] He claimed the party "deserted many of the people whose causes we used to champion." Namely, in his view: “In oil and gas. Farming. Fishing. Rural Scotland. Tourism. Small business and many other areas of life. Betraying generations who fought for women’s rights."[88]
On 20 June 2025, SNP leaderJohn Swinney said that Ewing had left the party. The SNP constitution states that "a member may not contest... elections in opposition to the party."[89][90]
In October 2025, Ewing voiced concern over UK government plans to house 300asylum seekers inCameron Barracks in Inverness.[91]
Ewing supportsScottish independence and was often described as belonging on thepolitical right wing of the SNP.[92][93]Ruth Davidson, leader of theScottish Conservatives between 2011 and 2019, suggested that Ewing was "plausibly to the right of me."[94] And Chris Deerin ofThe New Statesman has called him "socially conservative and economically liberal."[95] Ewing has described himself as apolitical moderate, saying "I’m not a socialist but I’m not a right-winger. I see myself as kind of in the centre."[2]
In 2025, Ewing effectively left the SNP when he announced he would stand against them as anindependent candidate in the2026 Scottish parliament election.[89] He critiqued his former party, hinting at his own platform, saying "They used to stand up for oil and gas workers, farmers, fishermen. Now they insult farmers, want to stop fishermen from fishing with no scientific basis, and claim to support oil workers while refusing to allow new drilling."[96]
By thesixth session of the Scottish Parliament (2021-2026), Ewing was one of only three MSPs, along withJackie Baillie andJohn Swinney, to have been elected as a constituency MSP at every general election since the establishment of the parliament in 1999.[97]
Ewing marriedMargaret Ewing (then Margaret Bain) in 1983.[98] She was the former MP forEast Dunbartonshire (1974-79), and was elected to representMoray in 1987. She held that seat until she stepped down in 2001, and represented thesame area in the Scottish Parliament from 1999 until her death from breast cancer in March 2006.[99]
His sister,Annabelle Ewing, was theMember of Parliament (MP) forPerth between 2001 and 2005.[100] Since2011 she has been an MSP. First, for theMid Scotland and Fife region and then, from2016, forCowdenbeath.[101]
In 2008, he had a daughter with his partner Dr. Fiona Pearsall.[2][102]
He was a member ofLoch Lomond Mountain Rescue Team.[103][104]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite web}}:|last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)| Scottish Parliament | ||
|---|---|---|
| New parliament | Member of the Scottish Parliament forInverness East, Nairn & Lochaber 1999–2011 | Constituency abolished |
| New constituency | Member of the Scottish Parliament forInverness & Nairn 2011–present | Incumbent |