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Màiri McAllan
MSP
Màiri McAllan MSP
	Official portrait, 2024
Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 8 February 2024
First Minister	Humza Yousaf ; John Swinney
Preceded by	Neil Gray (Wellbeing Economy); Herself (Net Zero)
Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition
	In office; 29 March 2023 – 8 February 2024
First Minister	Humza Yousaf
Preceded by	Michael Matheson
Succeeded by	Fiona Hyslop (Transport); Herself (Net Zero)
Minister for Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform
	In office; 20 May 2021 – 29 March 2023
First Minister	Nicola Sturgeon
Preceded by	Ben Macpherson
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Member of the Scottish Parliament ; for Clydesdale
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 6 May 2021
Preceded by	Aileen Campbell
Majority	4,578 (7.5%)
Personal details
Born	Màiri Louise McAllan; 14 February 1993 (age 31); Glasgow, Scotland
Political party	Scottish National Party
Alma mater	University of Glasgow

Màiri Louise McAllan (born 14 February 1993) is a Scottish politician serving as Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy^[a] since 2024. She previously served as Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition^[b] from 2023 to 2024 and Minister for Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Clydesdale since 2021. McAllan is a former corporate solicitor, who also served as a special advisor to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon prior to her election to the Scottish Parliament.^[2]

Early life

McAllan grew up and was educated in Biggar, South Lanarkshire, then studied Scots law at the University of Glasgow, also spending time at the University of Ghent in Belgium.^[3]

Her father Ian is also a politician who has served as a local councillor for South Lanarkshire's Clydesdale East ward (which covers Biggar) since 2017.^[3]

Before entering politics, McAllan co-founded human rights organisation RebLaw Scotland, which aims to use the law as a tool in the fight for social justice and held its first conference in 2017, worked as a corporate lawyer specialising in energy and natural resources and was a voluntary director of East Ayrshire's Women's Aid.^[4]^[5]

Political career

She stood unsuccessfully in Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale at the 2017 United Kingdom general election, where she came second to Conservative incumbent David Mundell.^[6]

McAllan served as a special advisor in the Scottish Government on environmental matters. First to then Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham and then to then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.^[7]^[8]

On 6 May 2021 she was elected as Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Clydesdale.^[1]

On 19 May 2021, McAllan was appointed to the new government as Minister for Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform.^[9]^[10] During her time as Environment Minister McAllan was responsible for scrapping the Scottish Governments' net zero target of 75% emission reduction by 2030, instead reverting to the UK target of 2045.^[11]

In December 2023 she controversially defended her government's record by stating "more often than not world leaders are approaching the Scottish Government" asking how they had "managed to lead the way so successfully on a number of fronts". In a subsequent Freedom of Information request made by the Daily Mail, the government were unable to provide the names of the world leaders as it did not retain such data.^[12]

Personal life

In February 2024, she and her husband Iain announced that she is pregnant with her first child.^[13] She plans to take maternity leave in the summer.^[14] She intends to return to her role as a government minister in March 2025.^[15]

Notes

^ ^a ^b The post was known as the Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy from February to May 2024 before responsibility for the Economy was moved to Kate Forbes.
^ ^a ^b Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Just Transition (March 2023–June 2023).

References

^ ^a ^b "Scotland Election 2021 > Clydesdale". BBC News. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
^ "Mairi McAllan: A lifelong local, a lawyer and an adviser to the First Minister". The National. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
^ ^a ^b "SNP choose Mairi to fight Mundell for rural Clydesdale". carlukegazette.co.uk. 15 May 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
^ "Mairi McAllan: Meet the SNP Holyrood candidate for Clydesdale". national.scot. 14 November 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
^ "Are you a rebel lawyer? Insight into the RebLaw Scotland social justice movement". benchmarkadvocates.co.uk. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
^ Bark, Stephen (11 July 2021). "Political calling came early for Clydesdale MSP Màiri McAllan". Daily Record. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
^ "Mairi McAllan: A lifelong local, a lawyer and an adviser to the First Minister". The National. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
^ "The minister in charge of saving the world defends Scotland's record on climate change". Sunday Post. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
^ "Nicola Sturgeon appoints new health and education secretaries". BBC News. 19 May 2021. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021.
^ "New Scottish Cabinet - gov.scot". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
^ "Scottish government scraps climate change targets". BBC News. 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
^ "Mairi McAllan 'world leader advice' claim in doubt as SNP Government fail to provide evidence to back up her statement". Scottish Daily Express. 6 February 2024.
^ "Economy secretary to take maternity leave in summer". BBC News. 25 February 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
^ "Scottish economy secretary Mairi McAllan announces pregnancy". The Independent. 25 February 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
^ Kendix, Max; Gilmour, Lauren (13 March 2024). "I'll be back, says Mairi McAllan as she announces pregnancy". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 13 March 2024.

External links

Scottish Parliament profiles of MSPs: Màiri McAllan

Political offices
Preceded by Ben Macpherson	Minister for Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform 2021–present	Incumbent
Scottish Parliament
Preceded by Aileen Campbell	Member of the Scottish Parliament for Clydesdale 2021–present	Incumbent