Leader of the Opposition (Scotland)

In the Scottish Parliament, the Leader of the Opposition (more formally, the Leader of the Opposition in the Scottish Parliament) is an unofficial title often used to describe the leader of the largest political party in the Scottish Parliament that is not in government. This leader has also been referred to as the Shadow First Minister.^[1]

Leader of the Opposition in the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Gaelic: Ceannard an Luchd-dùbhlain ann am Pàrlamaid na h-Alba
Incumbent Russell Findlay MSP since 27 September 2024
Scottish Parliament Opposition Shadow Cabinet
Style	Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP)
Term length	While leader of the largest political party in the Scottish Parliament that is not in government
Inaugural holder	Alex Salmond
Formation	May 1999

Unlike in the Parliament at Westminster where there is an Official Opposition to the government of the day, all parties in the Scottish Parliament that are not in government are all legally on the same footing as 'opposition parties'.

On 27 September 2024, following a leadership election within the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party,^[2] Russell Findlay succeeded Douglas Ross, who had served in this role from 2021 to 2024, as Leader of the Opposition in Holyrood.

To date there have been 14 individuals who have led the largest opposition party, three from the Scottish National Party, seven from the Scottish Labour Party and four from the Scottish Conservative Party.

List of leaders of the opposition in the Scottish Parliament

Portrait		Leader of the Opposition	Term of office		Elections	Shadow cabinet	Constituency/Region	Government
			Start	End
		Alex Salmond	12 May 1999[3]	26 September 2000		Shadow Cabinet of Alex Salmond	Banff and Buchan	Dewar government
			1 year, 4 months and 14 days
		John Swinney	26 September 2000	3 September 2004	2003	Shadow Cabinet of John Swinney	North Tayside
								McLeish government
								First McConnell government
			4 years, 5 months and 18 days					Second McConnell government
		Nicola Sturgeon	3 September 2004[4]	17 May 2007	2007	Shadow Cabinet of Nicola Sturgeon	Glasgow
			2 years, 8 months and 14 days
		Jack McConnell	17 May 2007	15 August 2007[5]			Motherwell and Wishaw	First Salmond government
			2 months and 29 days
		Cathy Jamieson	15 August 2007[5]	14 September 2007		First Shadow Cabinet of Cathy Jamieson	Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley
			30 days
		Wendy Alexander	14 September 2007[6][7]	28 June 2008[8]		Shadow Cabinet of Wendy Alexander	Paisley North
			9 months and 14 days
		Cathy Jamieson	28 June 2008	13 September 2008		Second Shadow Cabinet of Cathy Jamieson	Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley
			2 months and 16 days
		Iain Gray	13 September 2008[9][10]	17 December 2011	2011	First Shadow Cabinet of Iain Gray	East Lothian
			3 years, 3 months and 4 days					Second Salmond government
		Johann Lamont	17 December 2011[11][12]	24 October 2014[13]		Shadow Cabinet of Johann Lamont	Glasgow Pollok
			2 years, 10 months and 7 days
		Jackie Baillie	24 October 2014	13 December 2014		Shadow Cabinet of Johann Lamont	Dumbarton
			1 month and 19 days					First Sturgeon government
		Kezia Dugdale	13 December 2014[14]	13 June 2015[15]		First Shadow Cabinet of Kezia Dugdale	Lothian
			6 months
		Iain Gray	13 June 2015[16]	15 August 2015		Shadow Cabinet of Kezia Dugdale	East Lothian
			2 months and 2 days
		Kezia Dugdale	15 August 2015[17][18]	6 May 2016[19]	2016	Second Shadow Cabinet of Kezia Dugdale	Lothian
			8 months and 21 days
		Ruth Davidson	6 May 2016[20]	15 September 2018		First Shadow Cabinet of Ruth Davidson	Edinburgh Central	Second Sturgeon government
			2 years, 4 months and 9 days
		Jackson Carlaw	15 September 2018	3 May 2019		First Shadow Cabinet of Jackson Carlaw	Eastwood
			7 months and 18 days
		Ruth Davidson	3 May 2019	29 August 2019		Second Shadow Cabinet of Ruth Davidson	Edinburgh Central
			3 months and 26 days
		Jackson Carlaw	29 August 2019[21]	30 July 2020[22][23]		Second Shadow Cabinet of Jackson Carlaw	Eastwood
			11 months and 1 day
		Ruth Davidson	11 August 2020[24]	5 May 2021	2021	Third Shadow Cabinet of Ruth Davidson	Edinburgh Central
			9 months and 5 days
		Douglas Ross	6 May 2021	27 September 2024		Shadow Cabinet of Douglas Ross	Highlands and Islands	Third Sturgeon government
								First Yousaf government
								Second Yousaf government
			3 years, 4 months and 22 days					Swinney government
		Russell Findlay	27 September 2024	Incumbent		Shadow Cabinet of Russell Findlay	West Scotland
			10 months and 11 days

Timeline

See also

• First Minister of Scotland
• Deputy First Minister of Scotland
• Opposition Parties of the Scottish Parliament
• Scottish Parliament
• Scottish Government