Alison Johnstone (born 11 October 1965) is a Scottish politician who has served as the
Presiding Officer of the
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...
since 2021. Elected as a member of the
Scottish Greens
The Scottish Greens (also known as the Scottish Green Party; ) are a green political party in Scotland. The party has 7 MSPs of 129 in the Scottish Parliament, the party holds 35 of the 1226 councillors at Scottish local Government level.
The ...
, she relinquished her party affiliation on becoming Presiding Officer.
She has been a
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP; ; ) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.
Electoral system
The additional member system produces a form of proportional representation, where ...
(MSP) for the
Lothian
Lothian (; ; ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, while other signific ...
region since
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
.
Johnstone was born and raised in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, where she attended
St. Augustine's High School.
She worked as an assistant to
Robin Harper
Robin Charles Moreton Harper, (born 4 August 1940) is a Scottish politician, who was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Lothians region (1999–2011).
He was co-convener of the Scottish Greens (2004–2008).
Harper became a ...
, 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
The City of Edinburgh Council (Scottish Gaelic: ''Comhairle Baile Dhùn Èideann'') is the local government authority covering the City of Edinburgh council area. Almost half of the council area is the built-up area of Edinburgh, capital of Sco ...
, representing the
Meadows/Morningside ward until 2012. In the
2011 Scottish Parliament election
The 2011 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday, 5 May 2011 to elect 129 members to the Scottish Parliament.
The election delivered the first majority government since the opening of Holyrood, a remarkable feat as the Additional M ...
, 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
An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative d ...
to the
6th Scottish Parliament
The 6th Scottish Parliament was elected at the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. It was opened with the Escort to the Crown of Scotland Parade and Speech from the Throne on 2 October 2021.
Composition
Government parties denoted with bullets (� ...
, 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
The presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament (, ) is the presiding officer and speaker of the Scottish Parliament. The office of presiding officer was established by the Scotland Act 1998, and the elected presiding officer is a member of t ...
. Johnstone is the second female and first Green Party member to hold the position of office.
Early life
Johnstone was born on 11 October 1965 in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, Scotland, where she attended
St. Augustine's High School.
She is a qualified athletics coach and board member of
Scottish Athletics
Scottish Athletics, stylised as scottishathletics, is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Scotland. As such it is responsible for organising annual championships, maintaining rules for competition and ratifying records. It also selec ...
, and formerly held the East of Scotland 800m and 1500m records.
She worked at Basil Paterson College as a registrar for a decade.
Early political involvement
Johnstone began to have an interest in politics in the mid-1990s, when she joined the ''Keep Meggetland Green,'' a campaign against a proposal for flats to be built on
Meggetland Playing Fields. She wrote to politicians to gain attention, with Green politicians
Robin Harper
Robin Charles Moreton Harper, (born 4 August 1940) is a Scottish politician, who was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Lothians region (1999–2011).
He was co-convener of the Scottish Greens (2004–2008).
Harper became a ...
and Gavin Corbett the only ones to respond. Although the campaign was unsuccessful, Johnstone attended a Green party conference as a non-member and became more involved in politics.
She was a member of Scotland FORward and campaigned in-favour of a
devolved Scottish Parliament.
Following Harper's election to the
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...
in 1999, Johnstone served as his parliamentary assistant until 2011.
Political career
City of Edinburgh Councillor
Johnstone first stood as Scottish Green candidate in the 2003 North Morningside by-election, but finished third, gaining 10% of the vote, ahead of the
SNP and
Scottish Labour
Scottish Labour (), is the part of the UK Labour Party (UK), Labour Party active in Scotland. Ideologically social democratic and Unionism in the United Kingdom, unionist, it holds 23 of 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament and 37 of 57 Sco ...
. With
Single Transferable Vote
The single transferable vote (STV) or proportional-ranked choice voting (P-RCV) is a multi-winner electoral system in which each voter casts a single vote in the form of a ranked ballot. Voters have the option to rank candidates, and their vot ...
now being adopted in Scottish local elections, Johnstone saw an opportunity for Greens to enter local government. She stood as the candidate for Edinburgh's
Meadows/Morningside ward in the
2007 local elections. After a successful campaign, she was elected to the
City of Edinburgh Council
The City of Edinburgh Council (Scottish Gaelic: ''Comhairle Baile Dhùn Èideann'') is the local government authority covering the City of Edinburgh council area. Almost half of the council area is the built-up area of Edinburgh, capital of Sco ...
, becoming one of three Green politicians to be elected into local government.
She did not stand for re-election in the
2012 local elections after being elected as a Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Lothian region in the
2011 election.
Following the Scottish Greens' poor performance at the
2007 Scottish Parliament election
The 2007 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the third general election to the devolved Scottish Parliament since it was created in 1999. 2007 Scottish local elections, ...
, she was nominated unopposed as co-convener of the Scottish Greens. Johnstone was "certain that the Green Party will grow and attract more support as the other parties reveal themselves to lack the ambition to really change course from business as usual when it comes to the crunch". She served alongside
Robin Harper
Robin Charles Moreton Harper, (born 4 August 1940) is a Scottish politician, who was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Lothians region (1999–2011).
He was co-convener of the Scottish Greens (2004–2008).
Harper became a ...
, and both were replaced in 2008 as co-conveners by
Patrick Harvie
Patrick Harvie (born 18 March 1973) is a Scottish politician who served as Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants' Rights from 2021 to 2024. He has served as one of two co-leaders of the Scottish Greens since 2008, and i ...
and
Eleanor Scott.
Member of the Scottish Parliament
In the
2011 Scottish Parliament election
The 2011 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday, 5 May 2011 to elect 129 members to the Scottish Parliament.
The election delivered the first majority government since the opening of Holyrood, a remarkable feat as the Additional M ...
, Johnstone was elected as an
additional member for the
Lothian region.
She unsuccessfully contested
Edinburgh Central in the
2016 Scottish Parliament election
The 2016 Scottish parliament election was held on Thursday, 5 May 2016 to elect 129 members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the fifth Next Scottish Parliament election, election held since the devolved parliament was established in 1999. It ...
but finished fourth behind the
Scottish Conservatives
The Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party (), known as Scottish Tories, is part of the UK Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party active in Scotland. It currently holds 5 of the 57 Scottish seats in the House of Commons of the United Ki ...
'
Ruth Davidson
Ruth Elizabeth Davidson, Baroness Davidson of Lundin Links, (born 10 November 1978), is a Scottish politician. A member of the House of Lords since 2021, she was Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 2011 to 2019 and Leader of the S ...
, the
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party (SNP; ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic party. The party holds 61 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament, and holds 9 out of the 57 Scottish seats in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, ...
's Alison Dickie and
Scottish Labour
Scottish Labour (), is the part of the UK Labour Party (UK), Labour Party active in Scotland. Ideologically social democratic and Unionism in the United Kingdom, unionist, it holds 23 of 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament and 37 of 57 Sco ...
's
Sarah Boyack
Sarah Herriot Boyack (born 16 May 1961) is a Scottish Labour politician who has served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Lothian region since 2019, and previously from 2011 to 2016. She formerly represented the Edinburgh Cent ...
. She was again returned on the regional list. On 22 May, she was announced as the Scottish Greens spokesperson on Health and Sport, Social Security, Children and Young People.
She served as Co-Leader of the Scottish Greens in the Scottish Parliament, serving with
Patrick Harvie
Patrick Harvie (born 18 March 1973) is a Scottish politician who served as Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants' Rights from 2021 to 2024. He has served as one of two co-leaders of the Scottish Greens since 2008, and i ...
from March 2019 to May 2021. In 2020, she introduced a measure to grant protected species status to the
mountain hare
The mountain hare (''Lepus timidus''), also known as blue hare, tundra hare, variable hare, white hare, snow hare, alpine hare, and Irish hare, is a species of Palearctic hare that is largely adapted to polar and mountainous habitats.
Evolution
...
in Scotland, which was accepted on 17 June 2020.
Johnstone previously represented the Green Party at
First Minister's Questions and in September 2019 sketch writer Stephen Daisley commented, "Going by her performance at First Minister's Questions, they
he Greensshould dump the rest and put her in charge full-time. Unlikely as it sounds, she was the star of this week’s FMQs, giving
Nicola Sturgeon
Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon (born 19 July 1970) is a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 2014 to 2023. She has served as a member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) sin ...
the toughest time she’s had in parliament in many a week."
Presiding Officer
On 13 May 2021, Johnstone stood unopposed in the election to appoint the 6th Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament. A yes/no vote was held on her nomination, and she won with 97 Yes votes,
29 No votes, two abstentions and one
spoilt vote
In voting, a ballot is considered spoilt (chiefly British), spoiled (chiefly American), void, null, informal, invalid, rejected or stray if a law declares or an election authority determines that it is invalid and thus not included in the Vote ...
.
The Presiding Officer is expected to be strictly nonpartisan, so Johnstone resigned her Greens membership to take on the role.
Johnstone is the second woman in the post. The first was
Tricia Marwick, who was Presiding Officer from 2011 to 2016.
She is also the first Green MSP to serve as Presiding Officer. She is also the second Presiding Officer to be elected unopposed, after
George Reid
Sir George Houston Reid (25 February 1845 – 12 September 1918) was a Scottish-born Australian and British politician, diplomat, and barrister who served as the fourth Prime Minister of Australia, prime minister of Australia from 1904 t ...
in 2003.
On 14 May 2021, SNP MSP
Annabelle Ewing
Annabelle Janet Ewing (born 20 August 1960) is a Scottish politician and lawyer who has served as Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, alongside Liam McArthur, since May 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), sh ...
and Liberal Democrat
Liam McArthur were elected as the two Deputy Presiding Officers.
This is the first time since the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999 that neither the Presiding Officer nor any of the deputies has been a Labour or Conservative MSP.
On 16 March 2022, Johnstone was appointed to the Privy Council by Her Majesty The Queen and therefore granted the title '
The Right Honourable
''The Right Honourable'' (abbreviation: The Rt Hon. or variations) is an honorific Style (form of address), style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire, and the Commonwealt ...
'. She said in response to her appointment: Johnstone said: “It was a great privilege to be elected Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament last May, and it was an honour to be made a Privy Counsellor by Her Majesty The Queen this afternoon. “This appointment is recognition of the important role the Scottish Parliament and the Office of Presiding Officer plays and I am pleased to accept it.”
On 29th May 2025 she expelled Conservative MSP, Douglas Ross, out of chambers for being disruptive. Upset by being expelled, Mr Ross subsequently made multiple television interviews complaining of bias by Johnstone in her role as Presiding Officer and he ought to have been warned about his behaviour before being forced to leave.
Personal life
Johnstone has a husband and daughter.
Notes
References
External links
*
*
profileon Scottish Green Party
Alison Johnstone's MSP websiteprofileon Edinburgh Greens
;Video
Scottish Greens candidate Alison Johnstone aiming for Lothians seat 2011–
STV
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnstone, Alison
1965 births
Living people
People educated at St Augustine's High School, Edinburgh
Councillors in Edinburgh
Leaders of the Scottish Greens
Presiding Officers of the Scottish Parliament
Green MSPs
Members of the Scottish Parliament 2011–2016
Members of the Scottish Parliament 2016–2021
Members of the Scottish Parliament 2021–2026
Female members of the Scottish Parliament
Scottish pacifists
Scottish Green councillors
Politicians from Edinburgh
Women councillors in Scotland
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom