Alison Johnstone

The Right Honourable
Alison Johnstone
MSP
Official portrait, 2021
Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament
Incumbent
Assumed office
13 May 2021
Monarchs
Deputy
Preceded byKen Macintosh
Co-Leader of the Greens in the Scottish Parliament
In office
3 March 2019 – 5 May 2021
Serving with Patrick Harvie
Preceded byPosition established[a]
Succeeded byLorna Slater
(as Co-Leader of the Scottish Greens)
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Lothian
(1 of 7 Regional MSPs)
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 May 2011
Scottish Green portfolios
2011–2021Health, Sport, Social Security, Children and Young People
Personal details
Born (1965-10-11) 11 October 1965 (age 59)[1]
Edinburgh, Scotland
Political partyIndependent (since 2021)[b]
Other political
affiliations		Scottish Greens (until May 2021)[2]
Children1
WebsiteOfficial website

Alison Johnstone (born 11 October 1965) is a Scottish politician who has served as the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament since 2021. Elected as a member of the Scottish Greens, she relinquished her party affiliation on becoming Presiding Officer.[2] She has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Lothian region since 2011.[4]

Johnstone was born and raised in Edinburgh, where she attended St. Augustine's High School.[5] She worked as an assistant to Robin Harper, the first ever elected Green Party politician in the UK. In 2007, Johnstone was nominated unopposed as co-convenor of the Scottish Greens, serving alongside Harper. The same year she was elected to the City of Edinburgh Council, representing the Meadows/Morningside ward until 2012. In the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, she was elected as an additional member of the Lothian region. Following the 2019 Scottish Green co-leadership election, Johnstone served as the co-leader within the Scottish Parliament, until the 2021 election.

Following the election to the 6th Scottish Parliament, Johnstone was the only candidate to run for Presiding Officer. She received 97 votes in-favour and was elected unopposed as Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament. Johnstone is the second female and first Green Party member to hold the position of office.


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  1. ^ Chris Marshall and Carla Gray (7 May 2011). "Scottish Parliament election: Profiles of the candidates elected to serve in Edinburgh". Edinburgh Evening News. Archived from the original on 9 May 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference holyrod-mag-po-election was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "List of Business - 16 March 2022, Privy Council" (PDF). GOV.UK.
  4. ^ Lindsey Johnstone (6 May 2011). "Scotland fails to go Green". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference TQ was invoked but never defined (see the help page).