Ross Greer | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2022 | |
| Co-leader of the Scottish Greens | |
| Assumed office 29 August 2025 Serving with Gillian Mackay | |
| Preceded by | Patrick Harvie |
| Member of the Scottish Parliament forWest Scotland (1 of 7 Regional MSPs) | |
| Assumed office 5 May 2016 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ross John Greer 1994 or 1995 (age 30–31) Dunbartonshire, Scotland |
| Political party | Scottish Greens |
| Other political affiliations | Scottish Youth Parliament (2011–2013) Yes Scotland (2012–2014) |
| Residence(s) | Milngavie, Scotland |
| Education | Bearsden Academy University of Strathclyde (did not complete)[1] |
| Occupation | Politician |
Ross John Greer (born 1994 or 1995)[2] is a Scottish politician who has served asCo-Leader of the Scottish Greens since August 2025.[3] He also been aMember of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for theWest Scotland region since2016. A member of theScottish Greens, he was the youngest MSP elected in the2016 election.
Greer was educated atBearsden Academy, leaving in 2012.[4][5] Greer was a member of theScottish Youth Parliament, representing the Clydebank and Milngavie constituency 2011–13.[6] Greer joined the Scottish Greens at the age of 15.[7] He took part in the Debating Matters competition in 2012, where he reached the national final.[8]
Greer studied politics and psychology "for a time" atStrathclyde University, but abandoned his studies in December 2012 after being recruited byYes Scotland to be their communities co-ordinator for the forthcomingScottish independence referendum.[9] Following the referendum, Greer was employed by the Scottish Greens in a role involving campaigns communications and fundraising.[10]
Greer stood as the Scottish Green candidate in theEast Dunbartonshire constituency in the2015 general election, securing 5th place with 804 votes (1.5%).[7] He became the Scottish Greens' party spokesman on Europe and external affairs.[10] In March 2015, the Scottish Greens announced Greer had been selected as the lead candidate for theirWest Scotland regional list, following a ballot of their members.[11]
Ahead of the2016 Scottish Parliament election, Greer was critical that the general level of engagement with 16 and 17-year-olds as first-time voters had been below what was seen in the referendum.[12] On 6 May 2016, he was elected with 17,218 votes (5.3%) as an additional member for the West Scotland region. Elected at the age of 21 years old, he became Scotland's youngest MSP.[13] Before Greer was elected, the youngest MSP had previously been Labour'sMark Griffin, who was 25 years old when he was first elected in2011.[4] On 22 May, he was appointed the Scottish Greens' spokesperson for International Development and External Affairs, Education and Skills, and Culture and Media.[14]
Like his Green colleagues, Greer is opposed to anindependent Scotland joiningNATO. He told theDaily Record:[15]
NATO is a 'first strike' nuclear alliance, meaning it claims the right to launch its weapons of mass slaughter against other countries without having been attacked first. There can never, ever be justification for murdering millions of innocent people like that. For this reason alone, never mind NATO's history of provoking rather than avoiding conflict, the Scottish Greens are clear that an independent Scotland should follow Ireland's lead and stay out. Instead, we should immediately sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which would not only make theTrident submarines atFaslane illegal and force their removal, it would also show that we refuse to let others use weapons of mass destruction on our behalf.
In 2019, Greer was strongly criticised for having posted a tweet, while a secondary school student, in June 2012 which read "I'm not exaggerating when I say nothing would thrill me more than forBuckingham Palace to burn to the ground."[16]
On 25 January 2019, Greer posted a tweet callingWinston Churchill "awhite supremacist mass murderer." He later went onGood Morning Britain andPolitics Live and was challenged on his views.[17][18] This was not the first time Greer has been criticised for his comments about theSecond World War; a few years prior he was criticised inThe Sun after tweeting that "Imperial Britain was happy to live withHitler" in reference to the policy ofAppeasement.[16]
In 2021, amid theCOVID-19 pandemic, Greer violated local restrictions by visiting a pub inEdinburgh along with party co-leadersLorna Slater andPatrick Harvie and a fourth person.[19]
In July 2025, Greer announced[20] he was running forCo-leadership of the Scottish Greens. During the campaign, he claimed to have been hospitalised twice due to "bullying" within the party.[21] On August 29, 2025, the party announced that Greer had won the leadership contest, along with his fellow MSPGillian Mackay.[3]
Greer is a member of theChurch of Scotland.[22]
Greer isgay, as confirmed during a Scottish Parliament debate about his opposition to the appointment ofKate Forbes asDeputy First Minister of Scotland.[23][24][25]
