About – Sarah boyack MSP for the lothians

Sarah Boyack is a Scottish Labour politician, currently the Scottish Parliament member for Lothians and spokesperson on Constitution, External Affairs and Culture. Raised in Edinburgh, Sarah came from a Labour Party background, with her father, Jim Boyack, a prominent, party member and instrumental in campaigning for a devolved Scottish Government. She studied at the University of Glasgow gaining an MA (Hons) in History and Politics, and later a diploma in Town and Country Planning at Heriot-Watt University.

Sarah was elected to the new Scottish Parliament in 1999 and served with First Minister Donald Dewar. She was Minister for Transport and the Environment from 1999 until 2000, during which time she introduced one of Scottish Labour’s flagship policies of free bus travel for the over 60s, and disabled people.

Sarah 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.

Sarah taught Planning and Environmental Studies part time, then worked for SFHA as Head of Public Affairs. She returned to the Scottish Parliament in July 2019 replacing colleague Kezia Dugdale.

Sarah is passionately committed to environmental causes and in November 2004 received the RSPB Goldcrest Award for the most outstanding contribution to the development of environmental policy in Scotland since devolution. In December 2005 she was named the Scottish Renewables Best Politician and in 2016 was named Politician of the Year at the Nature of Scotland Awards.

Sarah continues to campaign on housing, sustainable transport and a just transition to tackle our climate emergency.

Header image: John Davey https://www.jondaveyphotography.co.uk/