Former Holyrood presiding officer Sir George Reid dies aged 86

Glasgow Times

19 hours ago

He died in the early hours of Tuesday at Strathcarron Hospice near Denny, just a few miles from where he was born in Clackmannanshire.
Sir George began his career as a journalist and was first elected as an SNP MP for Clackmannan and Eastern Stirlingshire in 1974, serving in the House of Commons before narrowly losing at the 1979 election.
He then returned to journalism, becoming the producer who brought the world pictures of the Ethiopian famine in 1984 alongside presenter Michael Buerk, which sparked the Band Aid and Live Aid concerts.
Sir George later took on a role with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent.
Sir George returned to Holyrood last year for the 25th anniversary of its opening (Jeff J Mitchell/PA)
It was not until the opening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999 that he returned to the political frontline as an MSP for the Mid Scotland and Fife region, and he then won the Ochil seat in 2003.
He became the second presiding officer following the 2003 poll – after losing his bid to be the first in 1999 to Sir David Steel.
Sir George oversaw the final stages of the then controversial new Holyrood building at the foot of the Royal Mile and the move from the Parliament's initial home on the Mound.
In late June, Sir George was diagnosed with metastatic kidney cancer – having previously had successful surgery for bladder cancer more than a decade ago.
His family said he was working until his final few weeks at Stirling University, where he was a professional teaching fellow and was well enough to drive home through the Clackmannanshire area where he was born and represented in two different legislatures.
He is survived by Daphne, his wife of 57 years, daughter Morag and her husband, and five grandchildren.
Flags at the Scottish Parliament he helped to complete have been lowered as a mark of respect, current Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone announced.
First Minister John Swinney led tributes to Sir George, crediting him as being one of the voices that brought him into politics as a teenager.
'I am desperately saddened by the loss of the remarkable George Reid,' the First Minister said in a statement on Wednesday.
'His passion for Scotland, his principled internationalist world view, and his empathy for the plight of people everywhere made him a voice that could not be ignored across five decades.
Sir George, pictured in 2023, served as both an MP and MSP (Jane Barlow/PA)
'As an MP, he was a trailblazing member of the SNP's breakthrough victories of 1974. He became, for me, one of the compelling voices of the campaign for a Scottish Parliament in 1979.
'His was one of the voices that brought me into politics and kindled my belief in independence that has driven my adult life. I feel so privileged to have been shaped by his influence and inspiration.
'George was a founding member of the Scottish Parliament. More than that, after Holyrood's difficult early years, he put aside party and provided emphatic national leadership as the presiding officer, ending the controversies over the new building and cementing the institution's place in modern political life.
'Throughout it all, his articulation of the case for Scotland deciding her own future was as compelling to me when I sat with him in his home just four short weeks ago, as it was when I was a teenager.'
Mr Swinney said Scotland, and the world, 'is richer for the life of George Reid and poorer for his passing'.
He added: 'My thoughts and deepest condolences are with Dee, his family, his many friends and all whose lives were enhanced by knowing George Reid.'
Sir George pictured at his desk in Holyrood in 2004 (PA)
Ms Johnstone said: 'On behalf of all at the Scottish Parliament, I express our deepest sadness at the death of our second presiding officer, the Rt Hon Sir George Reid.
'He'll be remembered not only for bringing the Holyrood construction project to completion, but for building confidence and ambition in our young Parliament.
'A proud son of Clackmannanshire and an internationalist by outlook, he was determined to put Holyrood on the map at home and abroad, and very much succeeded.
'By the time he left office, Holyrood was established at the centre of public life in Scotland and over a million people had visited to see for themselves the new Parliament in action.
'The story of devolution and the early years of our Parliament will remember George fondly and with gratitude.'
Sir George was credited with his work to bring about the Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood (PA)
SNP depute leader Keith Brown – who won Sir George's seat after his decision to stand down in 2007 – said the former presiding officer's contribution to Scotland was 'profound'.
He added: 'We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. Scotland has lost a great public servant, and the SNP mourns the passing of one of our own with both sadness and gratitude.
'George Reid's life and legacy will endure in our Parliament, in our politics, and in the continuing journey toward the fairer, more just Scotland he worked tirelessly to build.'
Scottish Tory MSP Murdo Fraser, who was elected to Holyrood in 2001, said of Sir George: 'As presiding officer, he carried out his duties with dignity and gravitas, earning the respect of colleagues across the political spectrum.
'Sir George will perhaps be best remembered for his pivotal role in getting the Scottish Parliament building project back on track when it faced severe cost overruns and delays.'