Richard Lochhead

Infobox MSP
honorific-prefix =
name = Richard Lochhead
honorific-suffix = MSP

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office = Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment
term_start = 17 May 2007
term_end =
firstminister = Alex Salmond
predecessor = Ross Finnie
(as Minister for the Environment and Rural Development)
successor = Incumbent
constituency_MP2 = Moray
parliament2 = Scottish
majority2 = 7,924 (26.2%)
term_start2 = 27 April 2006
term_end2 =
predecessor2 = Margaret Ewing
successor2 =
constituency_MP3 = North East Scotland
parliament3 = Scottish
majority3 =
term_start3 = 6 May 1999
term_end3 = 19 April 2006
predecessor3 = "new parliament"
successor3 = Maureen Watt
birth_date = Birth date and age|1969|5|24|df=yes
birth_place = Paisley
death_date =
death_place =
birthname =
nationality = Scottish
party = Scottish National Party
spouse = Fiona Lochhead
relations =
children =
residence =
alma_mater = University of Stirling
occupation =
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committees =
religion =


website =
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Richard Neilson Lochhead (born May 24, 1969) is a Scottish National Party politician, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment and Member of the Scottish Parliament for Moray.

Early career

A native of Paisley, Lochhead attended Williamwood High School in Clarkston and Central College of Commerce in Glasgow before he graduated in politics from the University of Stirling. He worked for the SNP leader, Alex Salmond, as his Office Manager from 1994 to 1998, before becoming an environmental development officer for Dundee City Council. He was the SNP candidate in Gordon in the 1997 UK General Election, where he finished third. He subsequently fought the Aberdeen Central constituency in both 1999 and 2003, but came second to Lewis Macdonald each time.

Holyrood

Lochhead was elected to the Scottish Parliament at the 1999 election and re-elected at the 2003 election for the North East Scotland Region. In January 2006 he was selected as the SNP candidate for Moray for the 2007 Scottish Parliament elections, following the announcement that Margaret Ewing MSP would be retiring. He beat Margaret Ewing's sister-in-law, former MP Annabelle Ewing in the selection. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4581640.stm|title= Salmond closer to Holyrood return|publisher=BBC News|date=2006-01-04|accessdate=2006-03-22] Ewing's premature death triggered a by-election and Lochhead resigned his additional member seat in April 2006 in order to successfully contest the Moray by-election. This was the first time since the second world war that an incumbent party had retained a by-election seat without losing votes or having their majority or share of the vote lowered.

He is a former convener of the European and External Relations Committee of the Scottish Parliament. In opposition he held the SNP's portfolios on Environment, Energy, Fishing and Rural Affairs in the Scottish Parliament. After the SNP's victory at the 2007 Scottish Parliament Election, Lochhead was appointed the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Fisheries. The related role for Minister for the Environment has been given to Michael Russell. As of May 2007, he has started his tenure with promises to "relentlessly" pursue the Scottish fishing interests on behalf of fishermen and their communities. [ [http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=815042007 SNP to trawl for thoughts of fishermen] , "The Scotsman", May 25 2007]

Lochhead is married to Fiona, and they live in Elgin with their young son Angus.

References

External links

* [http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msp/membersPages/richard_lochhead/index.htm Richard Lochhead MSP] on the Scottish Parliament website
* [http://www.snp.org/people/parliamentarians/richard-lochhead-msp/ Richard Lochhead MSP] biography from SNP website
* [http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/govtmay307/14944/Scottish-Cabinet/richardlochheadmsp Richard Lochhead MSP] Scottish Government biography

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