Jamie Hepburn

Scottish Independence Minister

Jamie Hepburn

MSP

Official portrait, 2023

Minister for Independence

Incumbent

Assumed office
29 March 2023
First Minister| Humza Yousaf
Preceded by| Office established
Minister for Higher Education and Further Education, Youth Employment and Training
In office
20 May 2021 – 29 March 2023
First Minister| Nicola Sturgeon
Preceded by| Richard Lochhead
Succeeded by| Graeme Dey
Minister for Business, Fair Work and Skills
In office
26 June 2018 – 20 May 2021
First Minister| Nicola Sturgeon
Preceded by| Paul Wheelhouse
Succeeded by| Ivan McKee
Minister for Employability and Training
In office
18 May 2016 – 26 June 2018
First Minister| Nicola Sturgeon
Preceded by| Annabelle Ewing
Succeeded by| Office abolished
Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health
In office
21 November 2014 – 18 May 2016
First Minister| Nicola Sturgeon
Preceded by| Office established
Succeeded by| Maureen Watt
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth

Incumbent

Assumed office
5 May 2011
Preceded by| Cathie Craigie
Majority| 9,478 (33.5%)
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Central Scotland
(1 of 7 Regional MSPs)
In office
3 May 2007 – 22 March 2011
Personal details
Born|

James Douglas Hepburn

(1979-05-21) 21 May 1979 (age 44)
Glasgow, Scotland
Political party| Scottish National Party
Spouse| Julie Hepburn
Alma mater| University of Glasgow
Website| www.jamiehepburn.net

James Douglas Hepburn (born 21 May 1979) is a Scottish politician who has served as the Minister for Independence since 2023. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), he has been Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth since 2011, having previously represented the Central Scotland region from 2007 to 2011.

Hepburn has served in numerous roles within the Scottish Government, first as Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health from 2014 to 2016, then as Minister for Employability and Training from 2016 to 2018, and Minister for Business, Fair Work and Skills from 2018 to 2021.

## Early life[edit]

Born in Glasgow, Hepburn was educated at Hyndland Secondary School and graduated from the University of Glasgow with a Politics and History degree. Whilst a student, Hepburn ran the unsuccessful campaign for Alasdair Gray to become the Rector of the University of Glasgow and was the Senior Vice-President at the Glasgow University Students' Representative Council, a post once held by his SNP Parliamentary colleague Alasdair Allan.

## Career[edit]

Before his election, Hepburn was convener of the Federation of Student Nationalists and the Young Scots for Independence. He had been the SNP candidate for the Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East constituency at the 2005 general election. He has worked for Alex Neil, a fellow SNP MSP.

Hepburn was elected during the 2007 election for the Central Scotland region, having also contested the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth seat at that election, finishing second behind Cathie Craigie. In this election he was one of only two candidates to win more than 40% in the constituency contested and not win the seat, the other being Alasdair Morrison in the Western Isles. He was the second youngest elected member of the Scottish Parliament for the 2007–2011 session after his SNP colleague Aileen Campbell.

Hepburn was a member of the Scottish Parliament Rural Affairs and Environment Committee and a substitute member of the Equal Opportunities Committee until 26 June 2008 when he became a member of the European and External Relations Committee, and a substitute to the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee, before being switched to a substitute member of the Public Petitions Committee. He subsequently was moved to the Public Audit and Equal Opportunities Committees towards the latter part of the third session of the Scottish Parliament. He is now the Deputy Convener of the Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee. Hepburn also served as the convener of the Cross Party Group on Human Rights and Civil Liberties in the Scottish Parliament's third session.

He was placed third on the SNP list for Central Scotland for the 2011 Scottish Parliament election[1] but was returned for the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth constituency. On 21 November 2014, it was announced that he would be Minister for Sport and Health Improvement.[2] On 18 May he was moved to the post of Minister for Employability and Training.

It was Hepburn's written question which revealed that projects in Scotland funded by the Private Finance Initiative will cost the taxpayer some £22.3 billion over a 40-year period.

He was one of six SNP MSPs to attend the "Big Blockade" event at the Faslane naval base organised by Faslane 365 on 1 October 2007[3] and has been active in calling for greater transparency about allegations that American government agencies facilitated extraordinary rendition flights through Scottish airports.[4][5] He has also called for any Scottish airport that is being sold by BAA Limited to be brought under public control.[6]

Hepburn has signed up to the People's Charter, a campaigning document prepared by trade unionists as an alternative to neoliberalism[7] and has drawn criticism from some elements of the Scottish media for having tabled a motion on Venezuela.[8]

## Personal life[edit]

Hepburn's wife Julie was the SNP candidate for Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East at the 2010 UK general election, she finished in second place to Labour with 9,794 votes. He is a supporter of Partick Thistle Football Club and lives in Cumbernauld.

## References[edit]

1. ^ http://www.snp.org/node/17336 [dead link]
2. ^ "Nicola Sturgeon announces new Scottish cabinet". BBC News. BBC. 21 November 2014. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
3. ^ "hundreds descend on faslane for the big blockade - UK Indymedia". www.indymedia.org.uk. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
4. ^ "Assurances sought over rendition". BBC News. 24 February 2008. Archived from the original on 10 December 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2008.
5. ^ Chief quizzed on rendition flights – Carrick Today [permanent dead link]
6. ^ "Manchester set to make 700m bid for Glasgow Airport – The Herald". Archived from the original on 26 August 2008. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
7. ^ "Charter supporters include". Archived from the original on 25 October 2010. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
8. ^ "News | The Scotsman". www.scotsman.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2021.

## External links[edit]

* Scottish Parliament profiles of MSPs: Jamie Hepburn
* Parliamentary website
* 2011 Campaign website [permanent dead link]
* Cumbernauldnl.info interview Jamie Hepburn MSP

Scottish Parliament

Preceded by

Cathie Craigie

|  Member of the Scottish Parliament for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth
2011–present  | Incumbent

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* e

Scottish Junior Ministers

Yousaf government

* George Adam (Parliamentary Business)
* Tom Arthur (Community Wealth and Public Finance)
* Siobhian Brown (Victims and Community Safety)
* Graeme Dey (Higher and Further Education and Veterans)
* Natalie Don (Children, Young People and Keeping the Promise)
* Jim Fairlie (Agriculture and Connectivity)
* Joe FitzPatrick (Local Government Empowerment and Planning)
* Patrick Harvie (Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants' Rights)
* Jamie Hepburn (Independence)
* Richard Lochhead (Small Business, Innovation, Tourism and Trade)
* Gillian Martin (Energy, Just Transition & Fair Work)
* Christina McKelvie (Drugs and Alcohol Policy)
* Paul McLennan (Housing)
* Jenni Minto (Public Health and Women's Health)
* Emma Roddick (Equalities, Migration and Refugees)
* Lorna Slater (Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity)
* Kaukab Stewart(Culture, Europe and International Development)
* Maree Todd (Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport)
* Elena Whitham

* Category
* Politics of Scotland

* v
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Members of the Scottish Parliament in the Central Scotland region

Elected in the 2021 election

Constituency MSPs|

* Neil Gray (SNP, Airdrie and Shotts)
* Fulton MacGregor (SNP, Coatbridge and Chryston)
* Jamie Hepburn (SNP, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth)
* Collette Stevenson (SNP, East Kilbride)
* Michelle Thomson (SNP, Falkirk East)
* Michael Matheson (SNP, Falkirk West)
* Christina McKelvie (SNP, Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse)
* Clare Adamson (SNP, Motherwell and Wishaw)
* Stephanie Callaghan (SNP, Uddingston and Bellshill)

Additional members|

* Meghan Gallacher (Con)
* Mark Griffin (Lab)
* Stephen Kerr (Con)
* Monica Lennon (Lab)
* Richard Leonard (Lab)
* Gillian Mackay (Green)
* Graham Simpson (Con)

SNP (9 seats), Labour (3 seats), Conservative (3 seats), Green (1 seat)

* v
* t
* e

Scottish National Party MSPs

First Minister|

* Humza Yousaf

Cabinet secretaries|

* Angela Constance
* Jenny Gilruth
* Mairi Gougeon
* Neil Gray
* Fiona Hyslop
* Màiri McAllan
* Angus Robertson
* Shona Robison
* Shirley-Anne Somerville

Junior ministers|

* George Adam
* Tom Arthur
* Siobhian Brown
* Graeme Dey
* Natalie Don
* Jim Fairlie
* Joe FitzPatrick
* Jamie Hepburn
* Richard Lochhead
* Gillian Martin
* Christina McKelvie
* Paul McLennan
* Jenni Minto
* Emma Roddick
* Kaukab Stewart
* Maree Todd

Backbench|

* Karen Adam
* Clare Adamson
* Alasdair Allan
* Colin Beattie
* Keith Brown
* Stephanie Callaghan
* Willie Coffey
* Bob Doris
* James Dornan
* Jackie Dunbar
* Annabelle Ewing
* Fergus Ewing
* Kate Forbes
* Kenneth Gibson
* Christine Grahame
* Emma Harper
* Clare Haughey
* Bill Kidd
* Gordon MacDonald
* Fulton MacGregor
* Rona Mackay
* Ben Macpherson
* Ruth Maguire
* John Mason
* Michael Matheson
* Ivan McKee
* Stuart McMillan
* Marie McNair
* Audrey Nicoll
* Collette Stevenson
* Kevin Stewart
* Nicola Sturgeon
* John Swinney
* Michelle Thomson
* David Torrance
* Evelyn Tweed
* Elena Whitham

* Category
* Politics of Scotland

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