Paul McLennan

Paul Stewart McLennan is a Scottish politician who served as Minister for Housing between 2023 and 2025.^[1][2] A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), he has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for East Lothian since 2021.^[3]

Paul McLennan MSP
McLennan in 2023
Minister for Housing
In office 29 March 2023 – 11 June 2025
First Minister	Humza Yousaf John Swinney
Preceded by	Margaret Burgess
Succeeded by	Màiri McAllan (as Cabinet Secretary)
Member of the Scottish Parliament for East Lothian
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 May 2021
Preceded by	Iain Gray
Majority	1,179 (2.5%)
Personal details
Born	1966 (age 58–59) Dunbar, Scotland
Political party	Scottish National Party
Spouse	Sharron McLennan
Children	2

He has served as a local councillor for the Dunbar and East Linton multi-member ward of East Lothian Council since 2007^[4] having previously been an unsuccessful candidate in earlier elections to single-member wards,^[5] and was both the SNP group leader and the council leader from 2007 to 2012. He has been a board member of NHS Lothian, the regional offices of Scottish Enterprise and the Commission on School Reform.^[4]

McLennan is East Lothian's first SNP MSP, with the constituency having been previously held exclusively by Scottish Labour for 22 years.^[6]

McLennan is married to his wife Sharron, with whom he has two children, Scott and Kirsty. He is a lifelong resident of Dunbar.^[7]

In June 2025, McLennan resigned as Housing Minister. In his resignation letter he said that following a "a recent, though thankfully short, period of ill health" he believed that he should stand down.^[8] He had been appointed to the position by Humza Yousaf in 2023.^[9]