Neil Gray

Neil Charles Gray (born 16 March 1986) is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician. He has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Airdrie & Shotts since the general election in May 2015. He was the SNP Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2015 to 2021.

Neil Gray

MP
Gray in 2020
SNP Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
In office
30 September 2015 – 1 February 2021
LeaderAngus Robertson
Ian Blackford
Preceded byHannah Bardell
Succeeded byDavid Linden
Member of Parliament
for Airdrie and Shotts
Assumed office
7 May 2015
Preceded byPamela Nash
Majority5,201 (13.1%)
Personal details
Born
Neil Charles Gray

(1986-03-16) 16 March 1986[1]
Kirkwall, Scotland
Political partyScottish National Party
Children4
Alma materUniversity of Stirling

Early life

Gray was born and brought up in Orkney, and was educated at Kirkwall Grammar School.[2] He graduated from the University of Stirling in 2008 with a first-class Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in politics and journalism.[3]

Following his graduation, Gray was employed as a producer and reporter with BBC Radio Orkney from 2003 until 2008.

Political career

Gray worked as a press and research intern for the SNP parliamentary group at the Scottish Parliament.[4] Grey was also employed by Alex Neil MSP from 2008, being appointed as constituency office manager in 2011.[4]

The selection process for the Airdrie SNP candidacy, which Neil Gray ultimately won, was not without controversy. Former diplomat Craig Murray was nominated as a potential candidate at an Airdrie Branch meeting but did not make the final list as he failed SNP candidate vetting, whereupon he commented that "I think in both Airdrie & Shotts and in Falkirk it's evident who the party hierarchy wants to be the candidate."[5] Former Policeman and SNP Councillor Alan Beveridge resigned from the party in February 2015 after Neil Gray was selected, claiming that there was a "climate of fear, intimidation and false allegations within the party" which were highlighted in the selection process.[6][7]

In September 2016, Gray as a member of the new Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster proposed "the Joint Committee declines to consider a draft Report until it has given full consideration to the possibility of constructing a permanent new Parliamentary building, while finding an alternative future use for the Palace of Westminster; notes that this option was included in the Pre-Feasibility Study and Preliminary Strategic Business Case published in October 2012 but was rejected by the House of Commons Commission and the House of Lords House Committee at that stage; and resolves to apply the same rigorous scrutiny to the possible construction of a new Parliamentary building as it has applied to the other options for delivering the Restoration and Renewal Programme, before making a recommendation about the best option for carrying out the works" [8] the committee voted 11/1 against this proposal.

In 2017 he held his seat, Airdrie and Shotts, with a vastly reduced majority, although he did increase this again in the 2019 snap General Election.

Gray has campaigned extensively in support of Roadchef employees, and former employees, who have waited over 20 years for the repayment of money wrongly appropriated by former executive Tim Ingram Hill.[9] On 8 January 2020, he questioned the Prime Minister on the issue, receiving an assurance that the Chancellor would "discuss" the matter with him.[10]

Personal life

Outside politics Gray was formerly a keen athlete, representing Scotland at 400m, until a serious knee injury ended his career in athletics.[11]

Neil is married with three daughters and one son[12]

See also

References
  1. "Members' Names Data Platform query". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  2. "Orkney man elected SNP MP for Airdrie and Shotts". The Orcadian. 8 May 2015. Archived from the original on 23 April 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  3. Hardie, Warren (15 May 2015). "Trio of Stirling Alumni Elected As Part Of Nationalist Surge". Brig (University of Stirling). Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  4. Burns, Janice (14 May 2015). "Meet your new Scottish MPs: #3 Neil Gray, Airdrie & Shotts". The National. Archived from the original on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  5. Tom Gordon (28 December 2014). "Torture whistle-blower's anger at SNP 'stitch-up' after election block". Herald Scotland. Archived from the original on 30 December 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  6. Andrew Whitaker (10 February 2015). "SNP councillors quit over candidacy selection row". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  7. "Lanarkshire councillors quit in SNP target area - BBC News". BBC News. Bbc.co.uk. 10 February 2015. Archived from the original on 20 April 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  8. "Select Committee On Science And Technology" (PDF). 2016–2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 May 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  9. "Conduct of HMRC and the Roadchef Employee Benefits Trust". Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  10. "Oral Answers to Questions - Hansard".
  11. Leftly, Mark (11 October 2016). "Neil Gray: We cannot artificially crowbar a 21st century parliament into an old palace". www.politicshome.com. Archived from the original on 26 April 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  12. "Neil Gray, Airdrie & Shotts". snp.org. Scottish National Pary. 4 September 2018. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Pamela Nash		 Member of Parliament
for Airdrie and Shotts
2015–present		 Incumbent
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