Alexander Geoffrey Cole-Hamilton(born 22 July 1977) is a British politician who has served asLeader of the Scottish Liberal Democratssince 2021 and theMember of the Scottish Parliament(MSP) for theEdinburgh Westernconstituency since2016.
Alex Cole-Hamilton | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2016 | |
| Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats | |
| Assumed office 20 August 2021 | |
| Deputy | Alistair Carmichael Wendy Chamberlain |
| Leader | Sir Ed Davey |
| Preceded by | Willie Rennie[a] |
| Member of the Scottish Parliament forEdinburgh Western | |
| Assumed office 5 May 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Colin Keir |
| Majority | 9,885 (21.1%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alexander Geoffrey Cole-Hamilton 22 July 1977 Hertfordshire,England |
| Political party | Liberal Democrats |
| Alma mater | University of Aberdeen |
| Website | Official website |
Early life and career
editCole-Hamilton was born inHertfordshire,England, the son of inorganic chemist Dr David John Cole-Hamilton,FRSE,FRSC,a lecturer at theUniversity of Liverpooland speech therapist and marine archaeological academic Elizabeth Ann, daughter ofRCNVRofficer and government employee Bruce Lloyd Brown (1914-2002), ofVictoria, British Columbia,Canada,grandson of Alexander Brown, co-founder ofChristie, Brown and Company,the largest Canadian manufacturer of biscuits.[1][2][3]His great-grandfatherRichard Cole-HamiltonwasArchdeacon of Breconfrom 1947 to 1955. The Cole-Hamiltons descend fromArthur Cole-Hamilton,younger son of the Irish politicianJohn Cole, 1st Baron Mountflorence,ofFlorence Court,whose eldest son and heir,William,was createdEarl of Enniskillen.Relatives include Anni Cole-Hamilton, founder of the privateMoray Firth School,and Air Vice MarshalJohn Cole-Hamilton.[4][5]Cole-Hamilton's family moved fromLancashireto Scotland when he was 8 years old.
After attendingMadras College,a state school inSt Andrews,[6]he graduated from theUniversity of Aberdeenwith a degree in politics and international relations. There, he was President of the Students' Representative Council from 1999 until 2000, where he was actively involved in negotiations with coalition ministers to abolish tuition fees in Scotland.
On leaving Aberdeen in 2000, he was appointed to the role of constituency organiser in the Liberal Democrat held constituency of Edinburgh West. He went on to work for the Liberal Democrats in the Scottish Parliament until late 2003 at which point he was appointed as a policy and communications officer in the Children’s voluntary sector, where he worked for various organisations until his election in 2016. During this time he was a Director of and then latterly the Convener of "Together (Scottish Alliance for Children's Rights)".[7]
Political career
editEarly career and Scottish Parliament
editCole-Hamilton stood in several constituencies unsuccessfully as a Lib Dem candidate: at the 2003 Scottish Parliament election for the Kirkcaldy constituency;[8]at the 2005 general election for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath; in 2007 for Stirling[9]and in 2011 for Edinburgh Central.[10]
Following the2015 general election,Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat LeaderNick Cleggquoted Cole-Hamilton when delivering his resignation speech. He referred to the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, saying "In 2011 after a night of disappointing election results for our party in Edinburgh, Alex Cole-Hamilton said this: if his defeat was part-payment for the ending of child detention, then he accepted it with all his heart. Those words revealed a selfless dignity which is very rare in politics, but common amongst Liberal Democrats."[11]
In May 2016, Cole-Hamilton was elected to the Scottish Parliament for the Edinburgh Western constituency.[12]After the election, he was made Scottish Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Health. Cole-Hamilton's 2016 electoral expenses were investigated in June of the following year,[13]according to theEdinburgh Evening News:"Mr Cole-Hamilton recorded the highest election costs of any Edinburgh candidate, spending £32,549 on his campaign while his rival for the Edinburgh Western seat, SNP candidate Tony Giugliano, spent £18,593." While Cole-Hamilton was cleared of any wrongdoing, the party was fined for failing to file an accurate spending return on its national spending return. He received the 'one to watch' award at the Herald – Scottish Politician of the Year Awards in August 2016.[14]
In 2018, Cole-Hamilton successfully persuaded the Scottish Government to reverse a planned funding cut toHIVScotland that would have sunk that organisation.[15]In 2020, during parliamentary deliberation of the first Coronavirus Act, Cole-Hamilton introduced amendments which forced a government U-turn on their proposals to abolish jury trials in Scotland for the duration of the emergency.[16]
From 2019 until March 2021, he was a member of theCommittee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaintsagainst the former First Minister,Alex Salmond.[17]
In February 2021, Cole-Hamilton was forced to apologise after having been seen swearing atMinister for Children and Young PeopleMaree Toddduring an online committee hearing.[18]He wrote Todd a letter of apology, as well as publicly apologising in the Holyrood Chamber the week after, saying his language was “neither parliamentary nor respectful.”[19]The Nationalreported in February 2024 that revisions to Cole-Hamilton’sWikipediaarticle relating to the incident were ‘removed’ via a computer in the Scottish Parliament.[20]
At the2021 Scottish Parliament election,Cole-Hamilton received 25,578 votes, the highest number of votes ever cast for a single candidate in the Scottish Parliament election. He beat the runner-up, SNP candidate Sarah Masson, by 9,885 votes.[21]
Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats
edit
On 27 July 2021, Cole-Hamilton announced his intention to stand in the upcomingScottish Liberal Democrats leadership electionto replaceWillie Rennie.[22]He won the election unopposed on 20 August 2021 and took office the same day.[23]He led the party into the 2022 local elections, which saw an increase of 20 councillors to 87, and increased vote share to 8.7%.[24]
He has prioritised campaigning on children's mental health, long covid, tackling the climate crisis and supporting Ukrainian refugees. He was sanctioned by theKremlinin August 2022 following his public criticism of theRussian invasion of Ukraine,[25]and his efforts to highlight Russian influence in Scotland.
Cole-Hamilton spoke at anOxford Uniondebate onScottish independenceon 24 February 2023. during which he compared the Yes movement with the push forBrexit.This was criticised byCorri Wilson,deputy general secretary of the independence supportingAlba Party.[26]
In December 2023, Cole-Hamilton was criticised after he attempted to take part in a parliamentary debate through video link from outside the parliamentary bar.[27][28]
2024 general election
editUponHumza Yousaf’s resignation asFirst Ministerin May 2024, Cole-Hamilton submitted his name for nomination as Scotland's next FM. He received four votes at the First Minister selection, losing toJohn Swinneywho succeeded Yousaf as the leader of theSNP.[29]
AfterRishi Sunakcalled ageneral electionon 22 May, Cole-Hamilton began campaigning for the Lib Dems, looking to “tear down the acid yellow wall of the SNP”.[30]Cole-Hamilton said the campaign would purposely avoid mentioning Scottish independence as an issue.[31]He instead prioritized housing, education, and NHS dental care among other issues.[32]Cole-Hamilton represented the Lib Dems in aSTVdebate on 3 June, the first debate of the general election.[33]He participated in another debate on 11 June hosted byBBC Scotland.[34]On 17 June, Cole-Hamilton unveiled the Scottish Lib Dems manifesto, which called for more funding for local agriculture, a new minimum wage for care workers, and more support to mental health services, among other issues.[35][36]He also promised to cut energy bills and fix Scotland's "broken" relationship with Europe.[37]
On 26 June, he said he had placed bets on elections in Scottish constituencies, describing them as "low-level bets" to "show confidence in my friends".[38]
The 2024 election produced historic results for the Lib Dems. The party won 72 seats, the most ever in its history.[39]The party won 6 seats in Scotland, gaining two inInverness, Skye and West Ross-shireandMid Dunbartonshirefrom the SNP.[40]The former (previously known asRoss, Skye and Lochaber) was held by former Lib Dem leaderCharles Kennedyfrom 2005 to 2015.[41]Cole-Hamilton celebrated the results, declaring “There are far moreliberalsthannationalistson the benches of theHouse Commonstoday.”[42][43]
Foreign politics
editIn October 2024, Cole-Hamilton announced he would be campaigning in the Americanswing stateofPennsylvaniato knock on doors for thepresidential campaignofVice PresidentKamala Harris,theDemocratic Partynominee in the2024 election.[44]He said he and three other Liberal Democrats booked flights as soon asJoe Bidensuspended hiscampaignin July, and described the election as “one of the most important elections in global history.”[45]
Personal life
editCole-Hamilton is married to wife, Gillian, a teacher and Liberal Democrat candidate. They have three children.[46]In 2019, he resuscitated his daughter after she swallowed a 50c Euro coin. He used the publicity around this to raise awareness of the importance of infant first aid and organised several first aid training events in his constituency.[47]
His relative John Cole-Hamilton was Provost ofKilwinningfrom 1940 until 1947, Deputy Lord Lieutenant for the County of Ayr in 1951, and Chairman of the Central AyrshireConservative Partywhen that constituency was formed, and Richard Cole-Hamilton, former chief executive of theClydesdale Bank.[48]
He also has a sister, with whom he stayed with inNew Yorkwhile campaigning for Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania during the 2024 American presidential election campaign.[49]
In May 2024, Cole-Hamilton announced he had been undergoing therapy for online abuse for the past two years. He said the Lib Dems were paying for the therapy, and that he made the announcement to “encourage others who were struggling to reach out and talk”.[50]
His leisure interests include surfing.[51]
References
edit- ^Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th ed., ed. Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 2003, vol. 1, p. 1329
- ^"Bruce BROWN Obituary (2002) the Times Colonist".Legacy.
- ^"David John Cole-Hamilton - University of St Andrews".risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk.
- ^Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th ed., ed. Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 2003, vol. 1, pp. 1327-1329
- ^Kirkcaldy, Liam (5 July 2017)."Getting to know you – Alex Cole-Hamilton".Holyrood Magazine.Archived fromthe originalon 23 December 2017.
- ^Healey, Derek (13 July 2021)."Alex Cole-Hamilton: Background and controversies of ex-Madras College pupil tipped to replace Willie Rennie".The Courier.
- ^"Alex Cole-Hamilton".Scottish Liberal Democrats.
- ^"2003 Election Results".parliament.scot.
- ^"2007 Election Results".parliament.scot.
- ^Edinburgh Central Constituency results 2011Elections Edinburgh Retrieved 27 May 2023
- ^"This is Nick Clegg's resignation speech in full".The Independent.8 May 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 14 May 2021.
- ^"Edinburgh Western - Scottish Parliament constituency - Election 2016 - BBC News"– via bbc.co.uk.
- ^"Edinburgh MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton cleared over election spending".Edinburgh News.10 October 2018.
- ^Gordon, Tom (13 August 2016)."Ruth Davidson named Herald Scottish Politician of the Year".The Herald.
- ^Bell, Rebecca."Cole-Hamilton: Appalling betrayal of HIV Scotland".Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP.
- ^Cole-Hamilton, Alex (31 March 2020)."Coronavirus crisis must not see suspension of trial by jury – Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP".Edinburgh News.
- ^Schmigylski, Tess (5 June 2021)."Membership".archive2021.parliament.scot.
- ^"Lib Dems MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton 'sorry' for swearing at female minister".BBC News.16 February 2021.
- ^"Lib Dems MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton 'sorry' for swearing at female minister".16 February 2021.Retrieved26 May2024.
- ^"Alex Cole-Hamilton's Wikipedia page 'edited to remove National reference'".The National.15 February 2024.Retrieved26 May2024.
- ^Stephen, Phyllis (7 May 2021)."#SPE21RESULT Edinburgh Western – Cole Hamilton retains his seat".The Edinburgh Reporter.
- ^"Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton announces leadership bid".BBC News.28 July 2021.
- ^"Alex Cole-Hamilton confirmed as new Lib Dem leader".BBC News.20 August 2021.
- ^McLaughlin, Mark."Scottish local elections 2022: Revival starts today, pledge Lib Dems with 20 new seats".
- ^Gordon, Tom (1 August 2022)."Russia bans series of Scottish politicians over their stance on war in Ukraine".The Herald.Retrieved12 October2022.
- ^Morrison, Hamish (15 May 2023)."Scotland 'can never and should never exist again', Scottish LibDems leader says".Yahoo! News.Retrieved16 May2023.
- ^Meighan, Craig (5 December 2023)."Lib Dem leader tries to take part in Holyrood vote from outside bar".STV News.Retrieved14 February2024.
- ^"Alex Cole-Hamilton jeered after joining Holyrood debate 'from outside bar'".The National.4 December 2023.Retrieved14 February2024.
- ^The Scottish Parliament (7 May 2024).Selection of First Minister (Voting Results) - 7 May 2024.Retrieved26 May2024– via YouTube.
- ^"Scottish party leaders pitch for votes on first campaign weekend".bbc.Retrieved26 May2024.
- ^"'No one is talking about independence' - Alex Cole-Hamilton ".bbc.Retrieved10 July2024.
- ^"Lib Dems promise new housing for key workers".bbc.Retrieved26 May2024.
- ^"Party leaders clash over North Sea industry in election debate".bbc.Retrieved10 June2024.
- ^"BBC announces Network TV Election Debates and Question Time Leaders' Special".bbc.co.uk.Retrieved14 June2024.
- ^"Scottish Liberal Democrats launch general election manifesto".bbc.Retrieved10 July2024.
- ^"Scottish Lib Dems unveil election manifesto".bbc.Retrieved10 July2024.
- ^"Who is Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton?".bbc.Retrieved10 July2024.
- ^"Scottish Lib Dem leader placed 'low-level' bets on election".bbc.Retrieved10 July2024.
- ^"Liberal Democrats win record number of seats as Sir Ed Davey hails 'exceptional' result".Sky News.Retrieved10 July2024.
- ^Carrell, Severin; O'Carroll, Lisa (5 July 2024)."SNP leader says 'soul searching' needed after Labour landslide in Scotland".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved10 July2024.
- ^"Lib Dems reclaim Charles Kennedy's old seat nine years after losing it to SNP".The Herald.6 July 2024.Retrieved10 July2024.
- ^Cole-Hamilton, Alex (5 July 2024)."Here's why Liberal Democrats' barnstorming return as major political force really matters".The Scotsman.
- ^Cole-Hamilton, Alex (10 July 2024)."Carrying forward Charles Kennedy's legacy with pride - Alex Cole-Hamilton".Edinburgh News.
- ^Hutcheon, by Paul; Updated (2 October 2024)."Scottish Lib Dem leader to campaign for Kamala Harris in pivotal US swing state".Daily Record.Retrieved9 October2024.
- ^Fleming, Keiran (2 October 2024)."Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton to campaign for Kamala Harris".STV News.Retrieved9 October2024.
- ^"Getting to know you - Alex Cole-Hamilton".Holyrood Website.4 October 2019.
- ^Cole-Hamilton, Alex (10 March 2019)."My daughter almost choked to death on a coin - this is how I saved her".inews.co.uk.
- ^"John Cole- Hamilton".The Herald.5 July 2017.
- ^Fleming, Keiran (2 October 2024)."Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton to campaign for Kamala Harris".STV News.Retrieved9 October2024.
- ^"Watch: Online abuse led to therapy - Cole-Hamilton".Retrieved26 May2024.
- ^Holyrood Scottish Political Guide 2023/24(2023/24 ed.). Edinburgh: Holyrood. 2023.
- ^Alistair Carmichaelacted from 20 July to 20 August 2021
External links
edit
- Scottish Parliament profiles of MSPs:Alex Cole-Hamilton
- Alex Cole-Hamilton MSPprofile at the site of Scottish Liberal Democrats