Jack McConnell to step down as MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw

Sep 2 2010 Hamilton Advertiser

JACK McConnell last week announced that he is to quit the Scottish Parliament after 11 years as MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw.

Mr McConnell was in May elevated to the House of Lords, becoming Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale.

There has been speculation since then that he would give up the seat at Holyrood he first won in 1999.

Last Wednesday, he told constituents it had been “the greatest privilege” to represent them in the Scottish Parliament.

He was, however, looking forward to “new challenges”.

“I will continue my work on peacebuilding,” he said.

“Across the world, post conflict reconstruction is the single biggest development challenge of our time.

“The partnership between Scotland and Malawi will remain at the heart of my work.

“The link between our two countries is precious and shows that people united under a common moral purpose really can change the world.

“I will continue to campaign to improve the life chances of vulnerable young people, whether here in Scotland or elsewhere.

“And I will promote the vision of a modern multinational and multicultural United Kingdom, and speak up for devolution and diversity in the House of Lords.”

He added: “I do not see this as end of Part One, more as the start of Part Two.”

Mr McConnell (51) was born in Irvine and brought up on the Isle of Arran.

He worked as a Maths teacher before joining the Scottish Parliament and becoming First Minister in November 2001.

He will probably be best remembered for policies to tackle antisocial behaviour; the Fresh Talent initiative, aimed at tackling Scotland’s population decline, and, above all, the ban on smoking in public places.

Mr McConnell added, in his ‘farewell address’: “When we left office in 2007, Scotland had more jobs, more people, and more confidence than could have been imagined a decade before.

“Services were better, economic investment was increasing, health was improving, our reforms were reducing crime and Scottish education was competing with the best in the world again.”

But he said: “I have been an elected representative for most of the last 30 years and it is time to move on.

“I have been involved in national Scottish politics, including the creation of the Scottish Parliament and serving in Government, for most of those thirty years, and it is time for others to take Scotland forward now.”

Hamilton North and Bellshill MSP Michael McMahon entered the Scottish Parliament at the same time as Mr McConnell and served under him as an aide and chief whip.

He said: “I saw at first hand Jack working really hard for the people of Scotland.

“As a finance minister he set in train the doubling of spending on the NHS, and as education minister he sorted out the debacle at the Scottish Qualifications Authority and put in place projects to refurbish 260 schools.

“The smoking ban will be his lasting legacy.

“We already know there are benefits such as a reduction in days lost at worked by people in the licensed trade.”

Central Scotland SNP MSP Alex Neil said that Mr McConnell had made the right decision to stand down.

Mr Neil said the former First Minister’s commitment to become a working Labour peer in the House of Lords made his position as an MSP untenable.