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Liam McArthurMSP
Official portrait, 2016
Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament
Incumbent
Assumed office 14 May 2021Serving with Annabelle Ewing
Presiding Officer	Alison Johnstone
Preceded by	Linda Fabiani Christine Grahame Lewis Macdonald
Member of the Scottish Parliament for Orkney
Incumbent
Assumed office 3 May 2007
Preceded by	Jim Wallace
Majority	3,869 (33.3%)
Personal details
Born	Liam Scott McArthur (1967-08-08) 8 August 1967 (age 57) Edinburgh, Scotland
Political party	Scottish Liberal Democrats
Spouse	Tamsin McArthur
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Edinburgh
Website	www.liammcarthur.org.uk

Liam Scott McArthur (born 8 August 1967) is a Scottish politician serving as Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, alongside Annabelle Ewing, since May 2021. A member of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, he has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Orkney since 2007.

Early life and education

McArthur was born on 8 August 1967 in Edinburgh. In 1977, at the age of ten, he moved to Sanday, Orkney with his family.

McArthur attended Sanday Junior High School, then Kirkwall Grammar School, where he boarded at the Papdale Halls of Residence throughout the week. Whilst at Kirkwall, McArthur developed an interest in sport including football, which became a lifelong passion. McArthur went on to represent Orkney in the junior inter country matches against Caithness and Shetland.

McArthur then spent a year in Mexico as an American field service student, before attending the University of Edinburgh to study politics. At university McArthur captained the football first team and represented Scottish Universities in the UK finals.

Political career

McArthur had previously worked as an aide to Jim Wallace in the House of Commons and as Special Adviser to the Deputy First Minister in 2002. When Wallace stepped down at the 2007 Parliament election, McArthur was chosen to replace him as the Lib Dem candidate and was elected. McArthur was subsequently re-elected in 2011 and again in 2016 with a substantially increased majority.

After being re-elected in the 2021 election, McArthur was elected as one of the two Deputy Presiding Officers of the Scottish Parliament.

Assisted dying

In 2024 McArthur introduced a bill on assisted dying in the Scottish Parliament. He had consulted on this subject in 2021. The first such bill had been attempted in 2010.

Personal life

McArthur met his wife Tamsin when working in Brussels. She was working for law firm Clifford Chance.

His brother Dugald was left quadriplegic after a rugby accident in 1996.

Career timeline

• 1986–1990: University of Edinburgh, Politics (MA)
• 1990–1992: Researcher, Jim Wallace MP (Orkney and Shetland), House of Commons
• 1992–1993: Trainee, European Commission (External Affairs Directorate)
• 1993–1996: Account Executive, various European Union public affairs consultancies
• 1996–2002: Associate Director, APCO Worldwide and APCO Europe
• 2002–2005: Special Adviser to Deputy First Minister of Scotland, Jim Wallace MSP (Orkney)
• 2005–2006: Director, Greenhaus Communications
• 2006–2007: Self-employed political consultant
• 2007–present: Member of the Scottish Parliament for Orkney
• 2007–2008: Shadow Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism
• 2008–2011: Scottish Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Environment, Rural Development and Energy
• 2011–2021: Scottish Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Education and Energy
• 2021–present: Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament

References

1. ^ McLaughlin, Mark (2 October 2018). "Getting to know you: Liam McArthur". Holyrood.
2. "Political class". The University of Edinburgh. 27 June 2017.
3. Taylor, Margaret (2 December 2021). "Speaking up: An interview with Liam McArthur". Holyrood.
4. "Election 2011 – Scotland – Orkney Islands". BBC News.
5. "Holyrood 2016: Orkney declares first result". BBC. 6 May 2016.
6. Graham, Chris; Henderson, Barney (5 May 2016). "Scottish Parliament Elections 2016: SNP wins historic third term". The Daily Telegraph. London.
7. Davidson, Jenni (14 May 2021). "Scottish Parliament's deputy presiding officers elected after five-hour voting session". Holyrood. Edinburgh. Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
8. "Support for change in law on assisted dying grows across the UK". www.ft.com.
9. ^ "Liam McArthur: MSPs know they must take assisted dying debate seriously". Holyrood Website. 4 April 2024.
10. "Proposed Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Scotland Bill".
11. "Could assisted dying be coming to Scotland?". BBC News. 27 March 2024.

External links

• Official website
• Scottish Parliament profiles of MSPs: Liam McArthur
• Scottish Liberal Democrats page
• BBC profile

• 1967 births
• Living people
• People from Orkney
• Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
• Members of the Scottish Parliament 2007–2011
• Liberal Democrat MSPs
• Members of the Scottish Parliament 2011–2016
• Members of the Scottish Parliament 2016–2021
• Members of the Scottish Parliament 2021–2026
• Deputy Presiding Officers of the Scottish Parliament