Alasdair Allan

Alasdair Allan (born 6 May 1971) is the Scottish Government's Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland's Languages and Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Na h-Eileanan an Iar.

Career

A native of Ashkirk, near Selkirk, Alasdair Allan attended Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities and devoted his time and employment to the Scottish National Party (SNP) in Peterhead, working for Alex Salmond MP, the now former First Minister of Scotland, and he subsequently became assistant to Michael Russell MSP.

Allan was the SNP candidate for Gordon at the 2003 Scottish Parliament election. As National Secretary of the SNP, he was responsible in July 2004 for the expulsion of Campbell Martin MSP from the party after Martin had claimed that there was a case for supporters of independence not voting SNP.

Alasdair Allan was next in line to become a list MSP for North East Scotland when Richard Lochhead resigned to fight the Moray by-election, however he decided instead to devote himself to contesting the Western Isles, a key Labour-SNP marginal seat in the 2007 Scottish Parliamentary election. He relocated to Lewis and resigned his post as SNP National Secretary. This move proved successful, as he was elected with 46.6% of the vote — a 5.4% swing from Labour.