Sarah Boyack
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| |
| Constituency | Edinburgh Central |
|---|---|
| Re-Elected | 1 May 2003 |
| Majority | 2,666 Votes |
| Date of Birth | 16 May 1961 |
| Political Party | Labour Party |
Sarah Boyack (born 16 May 1961 in Glasgow) is Labour member of the Scottish Parliament for Edinburgh Central. She was brought up in Edinburgh, where her father was an important figure in the Labour Party.
She became a student at the University of Glasgow in 1979, and became active in the Labour Club, where she was a protege of Margaret Curran. She became chair of the Labour Club in 1981-82, and chair of the National Organisation of Labour Students in 1985-86. During her time at Glasgow University, she was involved in supporting the twinning with Bir Zeit University in the West Bank, which involved serious clashes between supporters and opponents of Zionism.
She was elected to the new Scottish Parliament in 1999, and she was Minister for the Environment, Planning and Transport in the Scottish Executive from 1999-2000. Then Minister for Transport 2000-2001. She was elected Convenor of the Scottish Parliament's Environment and Rural Development Committee in June 2003 and stood down in January 2007 when she returned to the Scottish Executive as Deputy Minister for the Environment and Rural Development. [1]
In November 2004 Sarah received the RSPB Goldcrest Award [2] for the greatest contribution to the development of environmental policy since devolution and in December 2005 was named the Scottish Renewables Best Politician.
She was married at one time, but her and her husband became separated.
In the 2003 election, she won a majority of 2,666 in her Edinburgh Central constituency over the then Liberal Democrat candidate, Andy Myles, who is now a special adviser to the Scottish Executive. This is one of the smallest majorities of any Labour MSP, and she is expected to face a strong challenge in the May 2007 election from Liberal Democrat candidate Siobhan Mathers. [3]
Political Offices
External links
- Ministirial Page
- Official biography
- Sarah Boyack MSP Biography at the Labour party website