Nicol Stephen
Encyclopedia
Nicol Ross Stephen, Baron Stephen of Lower Deeside in the City of Aberdeen (born 23 March 1960) is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician. He was the Member
of the Scottish Parliament
for Aberdeen South
, and was leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats
from 2005 to 2008. He is a former Deputy First Minister of Scotland
and Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning
.
He became an MSP
in the first elections to the Scottish Parliament
in 1999. Following the coalition agreement between the Scottish Liberal Democrats
and Labour in the Scottish Parliament, he became Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning. Later in the same parliamentary term he became Deputy Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs, and then for Education and Young People. Following the 2003 Scottish Parliament election, he joined the Scottish Executive
cabinet as Minister for Transport. In 2005, following the resignation of his predecessor Jim Wallace
, he was elected leader of the party and also became Deputy First Minister
and Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning. He led his party into the 2007 election, where they won 16 seats (down one on 2003
). He resigned as party leader on 2 July 2008, triggering a leadership election
. In 2011 he joined the House of Lords
.
, he was educated at Robert Gordon's College
in Aberdeen
and at the University of Aberdeen
, where he obtained an LLB in 1980. He then took his Diploma in Legal Practice
at the University of Edinburgh School of Law
and worked for a number of years as a solicitor before moving into corporate finance
as a senior manager with Deloitte & Touche
.
He was a former Chair of CREATE
(a group campaigning for rail electrification between Aberdeen and Edinburgh); a chairperson of STAR (Save Tor-na-Dee Hospital and Roxburghe House); and the founder and director of Grampian Enterprise.
He is married with 4 children.
Regional Council in 1982 (as Scotland's youngest councillor) and was Chair of Grampian's Economic Development and Planning Committee from 1986 to 1991.
He was briefly a Member of Parliament
for the Kincardine and Deeside
constituency, elected in the November 1991 by-election
following the death of Conservative and Unionist
Alick Buchanan-Smith
. He was a member of the Liberal Democrat treasury team and spokesperson on small business during his time in the House of Commons. The seat returned to the Conservative and Unionist party at the 1992 general election, when it was won by George Kynoch.
He later stood for the Aberdeen South
constituency in the 1997 election
for Aberdeen South, but was defeated by the Scottish Labour candidate.
in the first elections to the Scottish Parliament
. He later helped negotiate the Partnership Agreement for the coalition government
with the Labour Party.
He later served in the Scottish Executive
as Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning (1999 to 2000), then as Deputy Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs (2000 to 2001), and as Deputy Minister for Education and Young People (2001–2003).
Following the 2003 election
, he was appointed Minister for Transport. During his time in this post, he was responsible for approving the controversial M74
extension.
in May 2005 as leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Stephen announced his intention to stand for the leadership. He defeated rival candidate, Mike Rumbles
, who advocated ending the coalition agreement with the Scottish Labour Party, winning 76.6%, becoming the Deputy First Minister
on 23 June 2005. Following his leadership victory, a mini-reshuffle of the Scottish cabinet, saw him take on the role of Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning
.
, with the SNP
emerging the largest party by one seat but short of an overall majority, it held discussions with the Scottish Green Party
and also intimated that it would be open to discussions with the Liberal Democrats. However, since the Liberal Democrats had indicated that they would not enter discussions with parties which continued to favour a referendum on independence, no formal talks were held: the SNP became a minority administration
and Stephen led his party to the opposition benches.
Despite being out of government, his party worked with the minority SNP Government on certain issues where they broadly agreed, including replacing the council tax
with a local income tax
to fund a proportion of local government revenue. He developed a reputation among some journalists as an effective and forceful critic of some aspects of the Scottish Government's policy and performance, especially at First Minister's Question Time.
Along with Wendy Alexander
and Annabel Goldie
, he took his party into the Commission on Scottish Devolution
chaired by Sir Kenneth Calman
, but was opposed to any suggestion that this would result in powers of the Parliament being returned to Westminster.
, some distance from the Parliament in Edinburgh
. Stephen's resignation took many in Scottish politics by surprise, and came only four days after the resignation of the former leader of Labour in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander
. He was succeeded by Tavish Scott
.
On 24 September 2010, Stephen announced he would not be standing again at the Scottish elections in May 2011.
in the House of Lords
on 7 February 2011, where he sits on the Liberal Democrat benches. He said he will use his new position to help reform the House of Lords.
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
of the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
for Aberdeen South
Aberdeen South (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Aberdeen South is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
, and was leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats
Scottish Liberal Democrats
The Scottish Liberal Democrats are one of the three state parties within the federal Liberal Democrats; the others being the Welsh Liberal Democrats and the Liberal Democrats in England...
from 2005 to 2008. He is a former Deputy First Minister of Scotland
Deputy First Minister of Scotland
The Deputy First Minister of Scotland is the deputy to the First Minister of Scotland.The post is not recognised in statute , and its holder is simply an ordinary member of the Scottish Government...
and Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning
Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning
The Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning was a cabinet position in the Scottish Executive. The position was first created in the 1999 as part of the Dewar government and continued into the McLeish cabinet. Following the election of Jack McConnell as First Minister in 2001 transportation...
.
He became an MSP
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
in the first elections to the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
in 1999. Following the coalition agreement between the Scottish Liberal Democrats
Scottish Liberal Democrats
The Scottish Liberal Democrats are one of the three state parties within the federal Liberal Democrats; the others being the Welsh Liberal Democrats and the Liberal Democrats in England...
and Labour in the Scottish Parliament, he became Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning. Later in the same parliamentary term he became Deputy Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs, and then for Education and Young People. Following the 2003 Scottish Parliament election, he joined the Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
cabinet as Minister for Transport. In 2005, following the resignation of his predecessor Jim Wallace
Jim Wallace
The Rt. Hon. James Robert Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness, PC, QC , is a British politician, currently a life peer in the House of Lords and the Advocate General for Scotland...
, he was elected leader of the party and also became Deputy First Minister
Deputy First Minister of Scotland
The Deputy First Minister of Scotland is the deputy to the First Minister of Scotland.The post is not recognised in statute , and its holder is simply an ordinary member of the Scottish Government...
and Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning. He led his party into the 2007 election, where they won 16 seats (down one on 2003
Scottish Parliament election, 2003
The Scottish Parliament election, 2003, was the second general election of the Scottish Parliament. It was held on 1 May 2003 and it brought no change in terms of control of the Scottish Executive...
). He resigned as party leader on 2 July 2008, triggering a leadership election
Scottish Liberal Democrats leadership election, 2008
The 2008 Scottish Liberal Democrats leadership election was an election to choose a new leader of the Liberal Democrats in Scotland, triggered following the resignation of Nicol Stephen for personal reasons...
. In 2011 he joined the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
.
Background and family life
Born in AberdeenAberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, he was educated at Robert Gordon's College
Robert Gordon's College
Robert Gordon's College is a private co-educational day school in Aberdeen, Scotland. The school caters for pupils from Nursery-S6.-History:...
in Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
and at the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
, where he obtained an LLB in 1980. He then took his Diploma in Legal Practice
Diploma in Legal Practice
The Diploma in Legal Practice is a Scottish postgraduate qualification required in order to practise law in Scotland, as either a solicitor or an advocate...
at the University of Edinburgh School of Law
University of Edinburgh School of Law
The University of Edinburgh School of Law, founded in 1707, is a school within the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, dedicated to research and teaching in law. Known today as Edinburgh Law School, it is located in the historic Old College, the original site of the University...
and worked for a number of years as a solicitor before moving into corporate finance
Corporate finance
Corporate finance is the area of finance dealing with monetary decisions that business enterprises make and the tools and analysis used to make these decisions. The primary goal of corporate finance is to maximize shareholder value while managing the firm's financial risks...
as a senior manager with Deloitte & Touche
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited , commonly referred to as Deloitte, is one of the Big Four accountancy firms along with PricewaterhouseCoopers , Ernst & Young, and KPMG....
.
He was a former Chair of CREATE
Create
Create may refer to:* Create , an American public television network consisting of lifestyle and human interest programming from the libraries of PBS and American Public Television...
(a group campaigning for rail electrification between Aberdeen and Edinburgh); a chairperson of STAR (Save Tor-na-Dee Hospital and Roxburghe House); and the founder and director of Grampian Enterprise.
He is married with 4 children.
Early political career
He was elected to GrampianGrampian
Grampian was a local government region of Scotland from 1975 to 1996. It is now divided into the unitary council areas of:*Moray*Aberdeenshire*City of AberdeenThe region had five districts:*Aberdeen*Banff and Buchan...
Regional Council in 1982 (as Scotland's youngest councillor) and was Chair of Grampian's Economic Development and Planning Committee from 1986 to 1991.
He was briefly a Member of Parliament
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
for the Kincardine and Deeside
Kincardine and Deeside (UK Parliament constituency)
Kincardine and Deeside was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until 1997. It was mainly replaced by West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, apart from the parts of the seat within the borders of Aberdeen City Council, which joined...
constituency, elected in the November 1991 by-election
Kincardine and Deeside by-election, 1991
The Kincardine and Deeside by-election was a parliamentary election held in Kincardine and Deeside, Scotland, on 7 November 1991, caused by the death of its Conservative Member of Parliament , Alick Buchanan-Smith on 29 August 1991....
following the death of Conservative and Unionist
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
The Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party is the part of the British Conservative Party that operates in Scotland. Like the UK party, it has a centre-right political philosophy which promotes conservatism and strong British Unionism...
Alick Buchanan-Smith
Alick Buchanan-Smith
Alick Laidlaw Buchanan-Smith was a Scottish Conservative and Unionist politician.The second son of Alick Drummond Buchanan-Smith, Baron Balerno and Mary Kathleen Smith, he was educated at Edinburgh Academy, Glenalmond College, Pembroke College, Cambridge and University of Edinburgh...
. He was a member of the Liberal Democrat treasury team and spokesperson on small business during his time in the House of Commons. The seat returned to the Conservative and Unionist party at the 1992 general election, when it was won by George Kynoch.
He later stood for the Aberdeen South
Aberdeen South (UK Parliament constituency)
Aberdeen South is a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and it elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
constituency in the 1997 election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
for Aberdeen South, but was defeated by the Scottish Labour candidate.
Minister and Deputy Minister roles
Stephen was elected as MSP for Aberdeen SouthAberdeen South (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Aberdeen South is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
in the first elections to the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament election, 1999
The Scottish Parliament election, 1999 was the first general election of the Scottish Parliament, with voting taking place on 6 May 1999 to elect 129 members...
. He later helped negotiate the Partnership Agreement for the coalition government
Lib-Lab pact
In British politics, a Lib-Lab pact is a working arrangement between the Liberal Democrats and the Labour Party.There have been four such arrangements, and one alleged proposal, at the national level...
with the Labour Party.
He later served in the Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
as Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning (1999 to 2000), then as Deputy Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs (2000 to 2001), and as Deputy Minister for Education and Young People (2001–2003).
Following the 2003 election
Scottish Parliament election, 2003
The Scottish Parliament election, 2003, was the second general election of the Scottish Parliament. It was held on 1 May 2003 and it brought no change in terms of control of the Scottish Executive...
, he was appointed Minister for Transport. During his time in this post, he was responsible for approving the controversial M74
M74 motorway
The A74 and M74 motorways form a major motorway in Scotland. Following an extension opened on 28 June 2011, it connects the M8 motorway west of Glasgow to the English border at Gretna, creating an alternative route for traffic moving from the south to the west of the city...
extension.
Deputy First Minister
Following the resignation of Jim WallaceJim Wallace
The Rt. Hon. James Robert Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness, PC, QC , is a British politician, currently a life peer in the House of Lords and the Advocate General for Scotland...
in May 2005 as leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Stephen announced his intention to stand for the leadership. He defeated rival candidate, Mike Rumbles
Mike Rumbles
Mike Rumbles is a former Scottish Liberal Democrat politician, and was MSP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine until defeated at the 2011 election in the successor constituency of Aberdeenshire West.-Background:...
, who advocated ending the coalition agreement with the Scottish Labour Party, winning 76.6%, becoming the Deputy First Minister
Deputy First Minister of Scotland
The Deputy First Minister of Scotland is the deputy to the First Minister of Scotland.The post is not recognised in statute , and its holder is simply an ordinary member of the Scottish Government...
on 23 June 2005. Following his leadership victory, a mini-reshuffle of the Scottish cabinet, saw him take on the role of Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning
Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning
The Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning was a cabinet position in the Scottish Executive. The position was first created in the 1999 as part of the Dewar government and continued into the McLeish cabinet. Following the election of Jack McConnell as First Minister in 2001 transportation...
.
Opposition
Following the 2007 electionScottish Parliament election, 2007
The 2007 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the third general election to the devolved Scottish Parliament since it was created in 1999...
, with the SNP
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
emerging the largest party by one seat but short of an overall majority, it held discussions with the Scottish Green Party
Scottish Green Party
The Scottish Green Party is a green party in Scotland. It has two MSPs in the devolved Scottish Parliament, Alison Johnstone, representing Lothian, and Patrick Harvie, for Glasgow.-Organisation:...
and also intimated that it would be open to discussions with the Liberal Democrats. However, since the Liberal Democrats had indicated that they would not enter discussions with parties which continued to favour a referendum on independence, no formal talks were held: the SNP became a minority administration
Government of the 3rd Scottish Parliament
The Government of the 3rd Scottish Parliament was formed after the 2007 elections to the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Government is headed by First Minister Alex Salmond.- First Salmond government :...
and Stephen led his party to the opposition benches.
Despite being out of government, his party worked with the minority SNP Government on certain issues where they broadly agreed, including replacing the council tax
Council tax
Council Tax is the system of local taxation used in England, Scotland and Wales to part fund the services provided by local government in each country. It was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as a successor to the unpopular Community Charge...
with a local income tax
Local income tax
The Scottish Government planned to bring forward legislation to replace the council tax with a local income tax , as part of the funding for Scottish local authorities....
to fund a proportion of local government revenue. He developed a reputation among some journalists as an effective and forceful critic of some aspects of the Scottish Government's policy and performance, especially at First Minister's Question Time.
Along with Wendy Alexander
Wendy Alexander
Wendy Alexander is a Scottish politician and the former Member of the Scottish Parliament for Paisley North. She held various Scottish Government cabinet posts and was the leader of the Labour Party group in the Scottish Parliament from 2007-2008...
and Annabel Goldie
Annabel Goldie
Annabel MacNicoll Goldie is a Scottish Conservative Member of the Scottish Parliament for the West of Scotland Region. She was the Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party in the Scottish Parliament from 2005 until 2011....
, he took his party into the Commission on Scottish Devolution
Commission on Scottish Devolution
The Commission on Scottish Devolution, also referred to as the Calman Commission, Scottish Parliament Commission or Review was established by an opposition Labour Party motion passed by the Scottish Parliament on 6 December 2007, with the support of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats...
chaired by Sir Kenneth Calman
Kenneth Calman
Sir Kenneth Charles Calman, KCB, DL, FRSE is a Scottish cancer researcher and former Chief Medical Officer of Scotland, and then England. He was Warden and Vice-Chancellor of Durham University from 1998 to 2006, before becoming Chancellor of the University of Glasgow. He has held the position of...
, but was opposed to any suggestion that this would result in powers of the Parliament being returned to Westminster.
Resignation as Party Leader
On 2 July 2008, Stephen announced he was stepping down as party leader with immediate effect because of the pressures of leading a political party while having a young family based in AberdeenAberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, some distance from the Parliament in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. Stephen's resignation took many in Scottish politics by surprise, and came only four days after the resignation of the former leader of Labour in the Scottish Parliament, Wendy Alexander
Wendy Alexander
Wendy Alexander is a Scottish politician and the former Member of the Scottish Parliament for Paisley North. She held various Scottish Government cabinet posts and was the leader of the Labour Party group in the Scottish Parliament from 2007-2008...
. He was succeeded by Tavish Scott
Tavish Scott
Tavish Hamilton Scott MSP is a Scottish politician and MSP for Shetland. He was Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats from 2008 to 2011...
.
On 24 September 2010, Stephen announced he would not be standing again at the Scottish elections in May 2011.
House of Lords
On 2 February 2011, he was created a life peer as Baron Stephen, of Lower Deeside in the City of Aberdeen, and was introducedIntroduction (House of Lords)
Introduction is a ceremony in the House of Lords whereby new members are "introduced" to the existing membership. Introductions in the Lords are more elaborate than those in the House of Commons.-Origins:...
in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
on 7 February 2011, where he sits on the Liberal Democrat benches. He said he will use his new position to help reform the House of Lords.
External links
- Nicol Stephen MSP profile at the site of Scottish Liberal Democrats