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Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader ResignsNicol Stephen Follows Labour's Wendy Alexander and Quits Post
Today (3rd July 2008), the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Nicol Stephen announced he would be stepping down from the post he has held for 3 years.
Announcing his resignation on the 2nd July, Mr Stephen is the second leader of a major Holyrood party to quit in the past week, following Saturday’s resignation of the Scottish Labour leader, Wendy Alexander. Second Major Resignation in One WeekAlthough undoubtedly a setback for the Liberal Democrats, the causes of their chief’s step down are far less murky than those which prompted Ms Alexander to relinquish her post. Last November allegations of discrepancies in the donations given to fund her leadership campaign surfaced, and she was recently given a sentence by the Electoral Commission which would have barred her from Parliament for one day. Labour's WoesThe punishment meted out to Ms Alexander long after she admitted receiving a £950 donation from a Jersey businessman (illegal, as non-UK voters may not donate to British parties) seems relatively mild, but as Holyrood has just broken up for summer recess the punishment would have hung over the Labour leader until the autumn session. Ms Alexander had also been facing questions over her suitability for the job; during her tenure the party had never really worried the Nationalists, and had also watched its public approval ratings plummet, although this is not an issue confined to Labour north of the Border. On the stresses of political life, The Daily Telegraph reported Mr Stephen as saying that “the health and well-being of your family has to come first”, and he also commented “Perhaps my announcement today should alert people to the demands placed on politicians and their families”. He will remain an MSP for Aberdeen South, the constituency he has represented since the first elections to the devolved Scottish Parliament in 1999 and has said he will continue to campaign on issues such as global warming and the role of the youth in society. Background of Nicol StephenMr Stephen was previously deputy minister for enterprise and lifelong learning, then education, before becoming minister for transport. He succeeded Jim Wallace as leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats in 2005. Refusing to form a coalition with the Nationalists after they narrowly seized power, Nicol Stephen took the Lib Dems into opposition, claiming that he wouldn’t work with a party dedicated to breaking up the UK. The SNP now form a minority administration and share power with the Greens and other smaller parties. A Possible Leadership ContestTavish Scott, MSP for the Shetland Isles is tipped to become the next leader, although there is speculation that Mike Rumbles, who lost the last leadership contest to Mr Stephen may also stand.
The copyright of the article Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader Resigns in Scottish Affairs is owned by Ross Adkin. Permission to republish Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader Resigns in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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