The Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.jpg) OfficialHouse of Lords portrait, 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First Minister of Scotland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 27 November 2001 – 16 May 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monarch | Elizabeth II | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Jim Wallace Nicol Stephen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Henry McLeish[a] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Alex Salmond | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the Labour Party in Scotland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 22 November 2001 – 15 August 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Cathy Jamieson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UK party leader | Tony Blair Gordon Brown | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Henry McLeish[b] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Wendy Alexander[c] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Jack Wilson McConnell (1960-06-30)30 June 1960 (age 65) Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Scottish Labour | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Stirling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Profession | Mathematics teacher | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cabinet | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Minister for Finance (1999–2000) Minister for Education (2000–2001) First Minister of Scotland (2001–2007) Leader of the Opposition (2007–2011)  | ||
Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale,PC (born 30 June 1960) is a Scottish politician who served asFirst Minister of Scotland andLeader of the Labour Party in Scotland from 2001 to2007. McConnell served as theMinister for Finance from 1999 to 2000 andMinister for Education, Europe and External Affairs from 2000 to 2001. He has been aLabourlife peer in theHouse of Lords since 2010 and previously served as aMember of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) forMotherwell and Wishaw from1999 to2011. McConnell held thePresidency of the Conference of European Regions with Legislative Power (REGLEG) during November 2003 to November 2004.[1]
Born inIrvine, Ayrshire, McConnell studied at theUniversity of Stirling and worked as a mathematics teacher atLornshill Academy. His political career began when he was elected toStirling District Council, while he was still teaching. He served as a member of theScottish Constitutional Convention, having campaigned in favour of aScottish Parliament in the 1997 devolution referendum. Elected to serve as an MSP for theMotherwell and Wishaw constituency in the1999 Scottish Parliament election, McConnell was appointedMinister for Finance under theDonald Dewargovernment. AfterDewar's death in 2000, he ran unsuccessfully for theleadership of the Labour Party in Scotland, having been defeated byHenry McLeish.McLeish appointed McConnell asMinister for Education, Europe and External Affairs.
In 2001, McLeish resigned in the aftermath of theOfficegate scandal and McConnell was elected unopposed as the Scottish Labour leader. He was appointed First Minister on 22 November 2001, becoming the youngest office holder. As first minister, he implemented a ban on smoking in public places, signeda Co-operation Agreement with Malawi, and successfully bid for the2014 Commonwealth Games to be hosted inGlasgow. In the2007 Scottish Parliament election, the Labour Party in Scotland became the second largest party, with theSNP having one seat more. This therefore lead to McConnell losing office, becoming the first (and as of 2025, only) First Minister to have been defeated in office, and as of 2025, the lastLabour First Minister of Scotland in office.
After losing office as first minister, McConnell sat as theLeader of the Opposition in Holyrood, until his resignation as leader. He sat as a backbencher and stood down as an MSP in the2011 election. In 2010, McConnell became a member of theHouse of Lords of the United Kingdom. He made a commitment to continuing his work to tackle poverty in Africa and to develop the relationship between Scotland andMalawi.[2]
Jack Wilson McConnell was born on 30 June 1960 inIrvine, Ayrshire.[3][4] He is the eldest of four children born to William Wilson McConnell (1937–2018)[5][6] and Elizabeth McCallum McConnell (née Jack; 1936–2020).[7][8] McConnell was brought up on Glenscorrodale Farm nearLamlash on theIsle of Arran, where his father was a sheep farmer and a member of the Arran Farmer’s Society.[9][10][11] He was educated at Lamlash Primary andArran High School.[12]
McConnell attended theUniversity of Stirling, where he was President of theStudents' Association from 1980 to 1982 and National Union of Students Scotland Vice-President from 1982 to 1983.[13] He metMargo MacDonald andRichard Leonard at university.[14] In the late 1970s, he occupied the principal's office in protest against student homelessness. He also took part in a siege to occupy the administration offices at the university and slept in sleeping bags in the university’s court room.[14] He graduated in 1983 with aB.Sc.Dip.Ed.[15]
After graduating, McConnell worked as a mathematics teacher atLornshill Academy inAlloa, Clackmannanshire.[16] In1984, McConnell was elected toStirling District Council, while still teaching at Lornshill.[17] He served as Treasurer from 1988 until 1992, and was the Leader of the council from 1990 to 1992.[18]
McConnell initially joined theScottish National Party (SNP) when he was 16 years old. After trying to come to terms withScottish nationalism, he suspended his membership and instead joined theScottish Labour Party when he was 19.[14]
From 1992 to 1998, McConnell served as theGeneral Secretary of the Labour Party in Scotland.[17][18] His major breakthrough was in his handling of the1997 General Election success, where Labour attained a large overall majority victory over theConservatives. Together the Labour Party in Scotland, the Scottish Liberal Democrats, and theScottish National Party eliminated every seat the Conservatives held in Scotland. In 1998, he served as a member of theScottish Constitutional Convention where he pioneered theScottish devolution referendum success, establishing theScottish Parliament.[citation needed]
As a strong proponent ofScottish devolution, McConnell helped push for reform. Between 1989 and 1998 he was a member of theScottish Constitutional Convention, where he was playing an important role in the creation of theScotland Act, which created a Scottish Parliament for the first time.[citation needed]
As General Secretary, he managed the Labour Party in Scotland's successful devolution referendum campaign in 1997. Following the successful devolution campaign and the creation of aScottish Parliament, McConnell was elected as an MSP, for Motherwell and Wishaw, in the first Scottish Parliament in May 1999.[citation needed]
He was appointed immediately byDonald Dewar, the then First Minister, to the post ofMinister of Finance. As Finance Minister one of his primary jobs was to establish the budgeting procedures for the newScottish government, which included consulting the public on budget priorities. As Minister responsible for External Relations he established Concordats with the UK Government and opened Scotland House inBrussels.[citation needed]
McConnell was elected anMSP in the firstScottish Parliament elections in 1999. He was appointedMinister for Finance in the newScottish Executive by then First MinisterDonald Dewar. One of his first moves as Finance Minister was to establish the budgeting procedures for the new Scottish Executive, including publishing a consultation document asking the public and MSPs how the budget should be spent. His department also passed the Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000 through Parliament, which set out the finance and auditing procedures of the Executive.[19]
On 11 October 2000, Dewar died of abrain haemorrhage. After the Labour leadership intervened to stop the Enterprise MinisterHenry McLeish being appointed Dewar's successor without a vote, McConnell stood in the leadership contest. The election was held on Saturday 21 October, only 72 hours after Dewar's funeral, and the surprise result saw McConnell defeated with 36 votes to McLeish's 44 votes.[20]
McLeish appointed himMinister for Education, Europe and External Affairs.[21] Some analysts considered this post to be a "poisoned chalice", as he would be required to resolve botha crisis in theScottish Qualifications Authority over exam marking, and pay disputes with the teaching unions.[22]
McLeish resigned as first minister on 8 November 2001 over theOfficegate scandal, regarding the sub let of hisconstituency office.[23][24] McConnell was seen by many political analysts as the likely successor and he later launched his bid for leader.[25][26][27] On 13 November, McConnell held a press conference in Edinburgh after reports emerged he had anextra-marital affair seven years prior.[28][29] He admitted to having an affair and in a statement with his wife,Bridget McConnell, he stated: "If I become first minister, it would be very wrong for my family or anybody else to suffer because my behaviour then is still a secret today. That is why we are now being open about the fact that I did have an affair seven years ago. At the time I made mistakes, including denying the facts publicly and privately".[30][31]
McConnell emerged as the only candidate and on 17 November, he was officially elected unopposed asLeader of the Labour Party in Scotland after receiving the support of 97.23% of MSPs.[32] In his acceptance speech, he stated he was "deeply honoured to receive such overwhelming support" and highlighted that much work still needed to be done "to make devolution a success" and achieve "first class public services".[33]
McConnell was nominated for the post of First Minister by a vote of theScottish Parliament on 22 November, defeatingScottish National Party leaderJohn Swinney,Scottish Conservative leaderDavid McLetchie andIndependent MSPDennis Canavan by 70 votes to 34, 19 and 3 respectively.[34][35] On 27 November, theQueen issued him aRoyal Warrant of Appointment and he was sworn in at theCourt of Session in Edinburgh.[36] As a result of him becoming First Minister, he was appointedKeeper of the Great Seal of Scotland and to thePrivy Council, earning the title 'The Right Honourable' for life.[37][38] McConnell continued to lead the Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition that had existed under theDewar andMcLeish administrations.
Shortly after being appointed McConnell began making appointments to his cabinet and announced his cabinet appointments on 27 November 2001. He announced his junior ministers later on the same day.[39]Jim Wallace remained in the post of deputy first minister while Cathy Jamieson took over Mr McConnell's education brief andWendy Alexander andRoss Finnie remained as ministers.Sam Galbraith andAngus MacKay stood down andJackie Baillie,Sarah Boyack andTom McCabe reshuffled out of government, whileSusan Deacon was offered the post of social justice minister but refused the offer and moved to thebackbenches.Cathy Jamieson,Mike Watson,Malcolm Chisholm,Iain Gray,Patricia Ferguson andAndy Kerr were all promoted to cabinet.[40]Elish Angiolini QC was appointed as Solicitor General, the first woman to hold the role.[41]
Following the appointment of hisfirst government, McConnell used the first meeting of his newly formedcabinet that he intended for his administration to focus on the priorities of both the country and its people, pledging for unnecessary distractions to be avoided. Speaking during the first meeting of his cabinet, McConnell told his ministerial team he wished for them to "get rid of unnecessary paperwork and diversions" in order for ministers to be able to focus on the "key areas". McConnell also advised his cabinet that he was not seeking a large volume of new initiatives and policies for his administration, but rather that he remained committed to the policy areas of theprevious administration. A spokesperson for the Scottish Executive said that McConnell had told his cabinet for the need to "focus on delivering what is already there" as he felt it was important that his administration "makes sure we are delivering on the targets that have been set".[42]
One of the earliest announcements by the new executive under McConnell was the ability for theScottish Parliament to raise or lowerincome tax by up to 3p in thepound would not be invoked under a McConnell administration.[42] McConnell announced that under his premiership, the Scottish Executive would not change its position on issues such as private involvement in public services, proportional representation for local government elections and the financial independence of the Scottish Parliament.[43]
In 2002, McConnell pledged that the Scottish Executive would commit to building 100 new schools across Scotland by 2006. In order to achieve this, McConnell advocated for the use ofPublic Private Partnerships (PPP), stating "we'll work together to sort out how we give people maximum return for every one of their pounds we are spending".[44]
He was a strong advocate for teachers in Scotland to have the ability to move between primary and secondary schools to aid the transition process of children from primary school to secondary school.[45] One of McConnell's spokesperson said that McConnell had been driven to implement policy changes on the backdrop of "children making the transition can have some problems. The first minister will be setting out the first steps towards addressing what is a problem that has been around for as long as we can remember".[46]
In November 2002, McConnell announced plans that would allow Head Teachers in Scotland to have more authority in regards to setting their own standards and priorities for their respective schools.[47]
In February 2002, Scotland joined forces with the Republic of Ireland in a bid to host the2008 European Football Championship.[48] Whilst he was initially unconvinced that it was worth spending around £100 million on the tournament,[49] he later put his support behind the joint bid with the Republic of Ireland to host the tournament.[50]
Although the bid lost out to Austrian and Switzerland joint bid, McConnell later supported other attempts to land major supporting events including London's successful bid for the2012 Olympic Games[51] andGlasgow's bid for the2014 Commonwealth Games.[52] In December 2005, Glasgow formally launched its candidacy to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The launch of the bid was attended by McConnell alongside the leader ofGlasgow City Council Steven Purcell atHampden Park. Speaking at the launch, McConnell acknowledged that Scotland was the "first country to declare its interest in hosting the games" and additionally was the "first country to nominate its preferred city". Glasgow was selected byCommonwealth Games Scotland overEdinburgh, who had previously hosted the1970 and1986 edition of the games.[53]
In December 2002, McConnell launched his government's campaign against sectarianism.[54]
McConnell was re elected MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw at the Scottish Parliament elections. The Labour Party in Scotland won 50 seats, the largest number, and formedanother coalition government with the Liberal Democrats which won 17 seats. On 15 May, McConnell was re appointed First Minister of Scotland and on the same day the Scottish government published A Partnership for a Better Scotland which set out the government's priorities for the four-year term ahead.[55]
This was followed by the “Fresh Talent initiative” which was created and developed to focus at addressing the demographic decline in Scotland and ageing Scottish population by attracting young and skilled immigrants, primarily from otherEuropean Union countries (such asPoland andSlovakia primarily) to be attracted to Scotland as a place to live and work.
One of McConnell's most significant pieces of legislation to be introduced to the Scottish Parliament under his premiership was the successful campaign to ban smoking in Scottish public places, such aspubs, public transport andrestaurants, making Scotland the first country within the United Kingdom to do so, which led to McConnell receiving praise for his leadership on this issue, ultimately leading other countries to follow.[56]
TheSmoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Act 2005 was formally ratified inScots law on 26 March 2006.[57]
As the United Kingdom, and ultimately Scotland, was scheduled to host the31st G8 summit at theGleneagles Hotel, McConnell expressed his wish for the UK Government to pay for any and all associated costs as a result of hosting the summit and claimed that the Scottish Executive was being placed in an "intolerable position". Under McConnell, the executive warned that it would make the costs of security and policing the event public.[58]
McConnell's demands for the UK Government to pay the costs of policing and security were met with opposition fromHM Treasury, and it was later revealed that the treasury provided only £20 million towards the cost. In the months prior to the summit, the Scottish Executive expressed their concerns over the associated costs of hosting the event and a "potentially very serious situation" due to the fact that costs associated with the summit "would inevitably be in the public domain". It was suggested that the Scottish Executive would launch a formal dispute with the UK Government in response to any perceived lack of progress over funding the summit.[58]
Despite assurances to theScottish Parliament in May 2005 that the cost of hosting the G8 summit "would be nowhere near £100 million", overall cost of hosting the event was estimated to be £90.9 million.[59] In addition to the £20 million contributed by HM Treasury, theForeign Office contributed £10 million whilst the Scottish Executive was expected to pay the remaining £65 million.[58]
Despite concerns over the cost and disagreement with the UK Government over funding, McConnell attended the summit held between 6–8 July 2005 and welcomed international leaders who were invited to the conference toGlasgow Prestwick Airport on arrival.[60]
TheScottish Parliament general election of 3 May 2007 saw McConnell re elected as the MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw with a majority of 5,938 votes, representing 48% of the vote with a turnout of 50.3%. The Labour Party in Scotland was defeated by theSNP with the SNP winning 47 seats to Labour's 46, leaving the SNP short of an overall majority in the Parliament.[61]
As Labour was left the second largest party in Holyrood, the SNP was invited first to form a government.[62] The Lib Dems turned down a coalition deal with the SNP andScottish Greens and ruled out a deal with Labour.[63][64] On 16 May 2007, the election to nominate a first minister in the Scottish Parliament was held, with Alex Salmond receiving 49 votes to 46, as the Lib Dems and Conservatives abstained.[65][66] The following day, the SNP officially formed thefirst nationalist administration of the Scottish Executive and McConnell becameLeader of the Opposition.[67][68]
On 17 May 2007, McConnell told Salmond he would abstain in a Parliament vote to appoint ministers. In his first speech as opposition leader, McConnell listed a series of 'hypocritical' remarks that SNP ministers had made about the Labour administration.[69]
My predecessor had problems over a muddle. I can only describe Mr Salmond's first decisions as a guddle. He has learned nothing in opposition, despite what he said about doing so. He will regret deprioritising culture, sport and housing, but those who value them will regret it more. Those who want to see action on affordable homes will regret it too.
— McConnell's response toAlex Salmond's administration
As Leader of the Opposition in Holyrood, McConnell took part inFirst Minister's Questions (FMQs). In one session of FMQs, he claimed the new SNP administration was making several U-turns ontransport policy and its position onstudent debt andcouncil taxes.[70]
On 15 August 2007, McConnell announced his intention to resign asLeader of the Labour Party in Scotland.[71] In a statement, he said it was his "honour" to serve as leader and empthasised the need for Labour to learn lessons following its defeat in May.[72][73] Immediately after his resignation, he was nominated by Prime MinisterGordon Brown to succeed Richard Wildash asBritish High Commissioner toMalawi.[74] McConnell was succeeded as leader byWendy Alexander.[75]
After his resignation, McConnell sat in Labour's opposition backbenches at Holyrood and continued to represent hisMotherwell and Wishaw constituency until the2011 Scottish Parliament election. On 28 May 2010, it was announced that McConnell would be made alife peer and enter theHouse of Lords as aworking peer on behalf of theLabour Party.[76]
On 28 June 2010, he was created alife peer asBaron McConnell of Glenscorrodale, of the Isle of Arran in Ayrshire and Arran,[77] and wasintroduced in theHouse of Lords the same day.[78] In August 2010 he announced that he would not be seeking re-election to the Scottish Parliament.[79]
In August 2007, he was appointed an adviser to theClintonHunter Development Initiative inMalawi andRwanda, and in October 2008, he was appointed byGordon Brown as the Prime Minister's Special Representative on Conflict Resolution Mechanisms, a position which ceased following Labour's defeat in the2010 General election.[citation needed]
He is a UK Ambassador forAction for Children; a Fellow of the48 Group Club, which promotes relationships between the United Kingdom and China and an Ambassador forPump Aid. On 8 March 2012,Optical Express announced the appointment of Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale joining the Board as non executive director.[80] He was a non executive director at DCM (Optical Holdings) from 2011 to 2015.[81] As of 30 November 2018, McConnell holds the position of Chancellor at theUniversity of Stirling.[82]
On 31 October 2024, it was announced that McConnell would lead aBlack Sea regeneration group.[83][84]
In 1990, McConnell marriedBridget McConnell, a cultural administrator and former chief executive officer of Glasgow Life.[85][86] They met in the late 1980s, where they both worked atStirling District Council.[87] On 5 March 1991, asheriff ruled McConnell could become thelegal father of Bridget's children, Hannah and Mark; whom she had in her previous marriage with Richard Brown.[88] During McConnell'sleadership bid for the Scottish Labour Party in November 2001, he revealed in a press conference that he had been involved in anextra marital affair seven years previously.[89] He admitted the affair had been "an open secret for seven years" and "It caused significant hurt to a number of people and I regret that very much to this day".[90][91]
In 2016, McConnell refused to bail out his sister, Anne McConnell, who was jailed for stealing £9,000 from a disabled pensioner's bank account.[92] She told police she needed money to pay hermortgage and blamed her crime on her menopause and hoped "Jack would help her pay it back".[92][93]
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| Scottish Parliament | ||
|---|---|---|
| New parliament | Member of the Scottish Parliament forMotherwell and Wishaw 1999–2011 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| New office | Minister for Finance 1999–2000 | Succeeded byas Minister for Finance and Local Government |
| Preceded byas Minister for Children and Education | Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs 2000–2001 | Succeeded byas Minister for Education and Young People |
| Preceded by | First Minister of Scotland 2001–2007 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Leader of the Labour Party in Scotland 2001–2007 | Succeeded by |
| Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Gentlemen Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale | Followed by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
