Russell Findlay | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2021 | |
| Leader of the Opposition in the Scottish Parliament | |
| Assumed office 27 September 2024 | |
| Monarch | Charles III |
| First Minister | John Swinney |
| Preceded by | Douglas Ross |
| Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party | |
| Assumed office 27 September 2024 | |
| Deputy | Rachael Hamilton |
| UK party leader |
|
| Chair | |
| Preceded by | Douglas Ross |
| Member of the Scottish Parliament forWest Scotland (1 of 7 Regional MSPs) | |
| Assumed office 6 May 2021 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1972 or 1973 (age 52–53)[1] |
| Political party | Scottish Conservatives |
Russell Findlay (born 1972 or 1973) is a Scottish politician and journalist who has served asLeader of the Opposition in the Scottish Parliament as well asLeader of the Scottish Conservative Party since September 2024.[2] He has been aMember of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for theWest Scotland region since2021.[3] A member of theScottish Conservatives, he served as the party's director of communications.[4]
Findlay worked as a journalist forScottish Television, theScottish Sun andSunday Mail. His investigation into thedisappearance of Margaret Fleming was used to help prosecute her killers. He has written three books, one of which is about his acid attack, and co-authored a fourth.[1]
In December 2015, while working as a journalist forThe Sun reporting on gangs inGlasgow, he was subjected to a doorstep acid attack. William Burns disguised himself as a postal worker and threwsulfuric acid on Findlay before attacking with a knife. Findlay managed to hold Burns down long enough for the police to arrive and arrest him. Burns was sentenced to a ten-year jail term with five years of post-release supervision. Ten months before the attack, Gordon Smart, editor ofThe Sun, received a call that included threats against Findlay, which Smart did not reveal until days after the attack. Findlay initially returned to work forThe Sun but later took sick leave and left with an agreement from his employer.[5]
Findlay was selected as theScottish Conservatives' candidate for thePaisley constituency in the2021 Scottish Parliament election. He failed to win the seat, coming third with 3,342 votes (9.6%).[6][7] Having been unsuccessful on the constituency ballot, Findlay was elected as anadditional member for theWest Scotland region, being second on the party list.[8][9]
On 12 January 2022, Findlay called forBoris Johnson to resign as Conservative party leader and Prime Minister over theWestminster lockdown parties controversy along with a majority of Scottish Conservative MSPs.[10]
On 27 December 2022, Findlay posted on Twitter a picture of himself holding amerkin, with a group of people in a pub, includingElaine Miller, who had flashed the Scottish Parliament and then those in the gallery, from the gallery, following the conclusion of the last debate on theGender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill.[11] In the post, he criticised the police's decision to investigate Miller over her self-declared indecency.
On 10 June 2024,Douglas Ross announced his intention to resign as leader of the Scottish Conservatives upon the election of his successor.[12] Findlay, who had been considered a frontrunner for the position, announced his candidacy for leader on 22 July.[13] Facing fellow MSPsMurdo Fraser andMeghan Gallacher,[14] Findlay received 52% of MSP endorsements and was elected leader with 61.7% of the first-preference vote among party members.[15] He assumed leadership of the party and was appointedLeader of the Opposition on 27 September. He appointedhis Shadow Cabinet on 8 October.[16]
Findlay openly supported the bid ofLiz Truss to become theprime minister of the United Kingdom in the 2022leadership election.[17]
He has a daughter.[5]
