Iain Gray facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Iain Gray
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Gray in 2008
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| Leader of the Scottish Labour Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Acting 13 June 2015 – 15 August 2015 |
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| UK party leader | Harriet Harman (acting) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Jim Murphy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Kezia Dugdale | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 13 September 2008 – 17 December 2011 |
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| Deputy | Johann Lamont | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UK party leader |
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| Preceded by | Wendy Alexander | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Johann Lamont | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 7 June 1957 Edinburgh, Scotland |
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| Political party | Scottish Labour | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Gillianne McCormack | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Iain Cumming Gray (born 7 June 1957) is a Scottish politician. He was the Leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 2008 to 2011. He also served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for two different areas.
First, he represented Edinburgh Pentlands from 1999 to 2003. Later, he was the MSP for East Lothian from 2007 to 2021. Before becoming a politician, Gray worked as an aid worker and a teacher.
After the previous leader, Wendy Alexander, stepped down in 2008, Iain Gray was chosen to lead the Scottish Labour Party. He won the election with a good number of votes.
During his time as leader, his party had some successes. They kept their seats in important by-elections in 2008 and 2009. Also, in the 2010 UK general election, Scottish Labour kept all its 41 seats in the UK Parliament.
However, the 2011 Scottish Parliament election was tough for the party. They lost many seats, and the SNP won a lot more. Iain Gray himself won his seat by a very small number of votes. He announced his resignation as leader the day after the election results. He stayed on until Johann Lamont took over in December 2011.
Because of his experience, Gray was asked to be the Acting Leader of the Scottish Labour Party again in 2015. This happened when the previous leader, Jim Murphy, and deputy leader, Kezia Dugdale, both resigned.
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Early Life and Education
Iain Gray grew up in Scotland. He went to Inverness Royal Academy, which is a state school. He also briefly attended George Watson's College in Edinburgh.
He studied physics at the University of Edinburgh. After that, he trained to be a teacher at Moray House College of Education. He taught maths and physics at a high school in Edinburgh. He also spent some time teaching in Mozambique. For twelve years, he worked for Oxfam, an aid charity, in Scotland.
Starting in Politics
Iain Gray first became a politician in 1999. He was elected as an MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands. Right after being elected, he became a deputy minister in the first Scottish Government. This government was led by Donald Dewar.
In 2001, Jack McConnell became the First Minister. Gray was then promoted to Minister for Social Justice. In 2002, he became the Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning. In this role, he helped make changes to higher education in Scotland.
In the 2003 Scottish Parliament election, Gray lost his seat to David McLetchie. After leaving the Scottish Parliament, he worked in London. He was an adviser to Alistair Darling, who was a UK government minister.
Later, Gray changed his mind about leaving politics. He ran for election again in 2007 for East Lothian. He won this election and returned to the Scottish Parliament. He then became the Scottish Labour Party's spokesperson for business, energy, and tourism.
Leading the Scottish Labour Party
In 2008, the previous leader, Wendy Alexander, resigned. Iain Gray decided to run for the leadership of the Scottish Labour Party. He was elected leader in September 2008.
In 2011, while campaigning for the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, Gray faced some protesters. He had to leave an event quickly to avoid them. He later said that he was not bothered by the incident because of his past experiences working in challenging places.
The 2011 election was a difficult time for the Labour Party in Scotland. They lost seven seats, and many important politicians were not re-elected. It was one of their toughest election results in many years. Iain Gray himself won his seat by a very small number of votes. On May 6, he announced that he would step down as party leader later that year.
Later Political Roles
After stepping down as leader, Iain Gray continued to be an MSP. In 2013, he was given a role in the Scottish Labour team. He became the Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance. After the 2014 leadership election, he became the Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning.
In June 2015, Gray was appointed as the Acting Leader of the Scottish Labour Party again. This happened because the previous leader and deputy leader both resigned. In the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, Iain Gray kept his seat in East Lothian. He even won with more votes than in 2011.
In June 2020, Gray announced that he would not run for election in 2021. He wanted to spend more time with his family. He supported Anas Sarwar in the 2021 Scottish Labour leadership election.
Personal Life
Iain Gray has been married twice. He is a big fan of the Edinburgh football club Hibernian. He enjoys reading, listening to music, and going for walks in the hills. He is also a member of the Church of Scotland.
