Member of Parliament ( MP )
What was the position of Angus Robertson from Jun 2001 to Apr 2005?
Angus Robertson Angus Struan Carolus Robertson ( born 28 September 1969 ) is a Scottish politician serving as the Member of the Scottish Parliament ( MSP ) for Edinburgh Central since 2021 . Robertson previously served as Depute Leader of the Scottish National Party ( SNP ) from 2016 to 2018 and Leader of the SNP in the House of Commons from 2007 to 2017 . He served as Member of Parliament ( MP ) for Moray from 2001 to 2017 . A graduate of the University of Aberdeen , Robertson previously worked as a journalist . He was first elected to the House of Commons in 2001 . In 2017 , he sought re-election as the MP for Moray and lost to the Scottish Conservative candidate , Douglas Ross . He was succeeded as SNP Westminster Leader by Ian Blackford . Robertson resigned as SNP Depute Leader in February 2018 , before launching the pro-independence think tank Progress Scotland in 2019 , alongside Mark Diffley . In the 2021 Scottish Parliament election , Robertson was elected to the Scottish Parliament for Edinburgh Central . Early life and career . Robertson was born in Wimbledon , London , to a Scottish father , Struan , who was an engineer , and a German mother , Anna , who was a nurse . Robertson was brought up in Edinburgh and speaks fluent German . He was educated at Broughton High School , Edinburgh and the University of Aberdeen , where he graduated in 1991 with an MA Honours degree in politics and international relations . After university he embarked on a journalistic career , and worked as a foreign and diplomatic correspondent in Central Europe for the BBC World Service . Political activity and career . Robertson joined the Scottish National Party in 1984 , at the age of 15 , after being given a leaflet about the partys youth wing by Charlie Reid of The Proclaimers . He was the European and International Affairs Adviser to the SNP Group in the Scottish Parliament . Robertson was first elected to the UK House of Commons in June 2001 , representing the Moray constituency . During his first parliamentary session , Robertson was Scotlands youngest MP and was rated Scotlands hardest working MP according to statistics from the House of Commons . He was a member of the European Scrutiny Committee from 2001 to 2010 , and served as the SNPs spokesman on Defence and International Relations . Robertson was well above average amongst MPs in the number of contributions he made in the House of Commons . In January 2006 , Robertson provided Swiss Senator Dick Marty a report containing what he calls a detailed report of numerous suspect movements of aircraft transiting through Scotland . In May 2007 , he became SNP Leader in the House of Commons , following Alex Salmonds election as First Minister of Scotland . Following the 2015 general election and the election of Salmond as MP for Gordon , it was confirmed that he would continue in his role as leader in the Commons . In September 2015 , he was appointed to the Privy Council and as a member of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament . In 2007 Robertson pushed for a UK-wide referendum on the Lisbon Treaty , something that the SNP opposed because it entrenched EU control over Scottish affairs . Well trust the people , while Gordon Brown will not trust the people , Robertson told The Daily Record , We are honour-bound to support a referendum . In 2018 it was revealed that Robertson had been contacted a decade ago by staff at Edinburgh Airport about the alleged behaviour of then First Minister Alex Salmond . Robertson said : In 2009 I was called by an Edinburgh Airport manager about Alex Salmonds perceived inappropriateness towards female staff at the airport . I was asked if I could informally broach the subject with Mr Salmond to make him aware of this perception . I raised the matter directly with Mr Salmond , who denied he had acted inappropriately in any way . I communicated back to the Edinburgh Airport manager that a conversation had happened . The matter being resolved , and without a formal complaint having been made , it was not reported further . It was subsequently reported that Salmond had been banned from using a VIP access corridor at the airport . Robertsons handling of the allegations were later investigated by the Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints in 2020 and he submitted written evidence . In January 2016 , Robertson said that British Prime Minister David Cameron should admit to British involvement in Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen : Isnt it time for the Prime Minister to admit that Britain is effectively taking part in a war in Yemen that is costing thousands of civilians lives and he has not sought parliamentary approval to do this ? On 13 October 2016 , he was elected Depute Leader of the SNP , replacing Stewart Hosie . Robertson received 52.5% of the votes , defeating Tommy Sheppard ( 25.5% ) , Alyn Smith ( 18.6% ) and Chris McEleny ( 3.3% ) in the election . He resigned in February 2018 . During the 2017 general election Robertson told the media that Tory is a four letter word in Scotland , but amid a backlash to Nicola Sturgeons decision to call for a second independence referendum , he lost his Moray seat to Douglas Ross of the Scottish Conservatives . In a profile of the seat for The Guardian after the election , journalist Severin Carrell summarised the result : Moray had been an SNP seat for 30 years but.. . using Brexit as the basis for a second independence vote so soon after 2014 crystallised an irritation with the party brewing for several years . The Tory cry that Sturgeon needed “to get on with the day job” resonated . After losing his seat , Robertson resigned as a Depute Leader of the SNP and established Progress Scotland , a pro-independence think-tank . In February 2020 , Robertson announced his intention to contest the Edinburgh Central constituency in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election . He won selection ahead of Marco Biagi , a former MSP for the area . Robertson won the seat with 39% of the vote , beating out the Scottish Conservative candidate by 4,732 votes . Controversies . In 2014 Robertson – and three of his SNP colleagues – missed a vote on repealing the bedroom tax due to a delayed flight , despite the SNP making opposition to the policy a central part of its campaign for a yes vote in that years independence referendum . Labour said : “Far from standing up for Scotland , the SNP have stayed at home and let Scotland down.” Ahead of the selection contest for the seat of Edinburgh Central , the SNP National Executive Committee announced that any MP chosen as a candidate for Holyrood would be obliged to resign from Westminster ahead of the election to the Scottish Parliament . Some considered the rule change a deliberate stitch up by the SNP establishment to stop MP Joanna Cherry , a critic of the party leadership , from winning the partys nomination for the seat and boost the candidacy of Angus Robertson , a leadership loyalist . Cherry dropped out of the contest , citing an unwillingness to make her staff unemployed in a pandemic , and Robertson won the partys nomination . In 2020 Robertson wrote that a rise in support for independence in opinion polls could be attributed to , 55,000 predominantly No supporting older voters passing away every year.. . Since 2014 , this has added around 330,000 voters to the electorate , with a likely net gain of over 100,000 for independence.” His remarks were condemned as tasteless by opposition parties and his successor as MP for Moray , Douglas Ross , described them as , Disgraceful and deeply disappointing comments from Angus Robertson , suggesting that the most vulnerable age group , who have been hardest hit through the tragic loss of so many lives throughout the pandemic , are a boost to his independence obsession . A new low for the SNP.” Robertson said his analysis was simple statistical facts . Expenses claims . In 2015 , The Daily Telegraph reported that Robertsons second home expenses had included a television costing £1,119 , a £400 home cinema system , £500 for a bed , £20 for a corkscrew and £2,324 for a sofa bed . The home cinema system was initially denied by the expenses office ; however , Robertson appealed this decision and it was subsequently awarded . In 2017 it was reported in several newspapers that Robertson had sold his second home in London , the mortgage on which was paid on expenses , as part of his divorce settlement . Robertson had previously pledged to repay the value of the expenses on the property and donate any profit to charity . The flat was disposed of in the run up to Mr Robertson’s divorce and he did not profit from the sale of the flat . Its furniture and contents were distributed to Moray based charities . Personal life . Robertsons wife , Jennifer Dempsie , is a former advisor to Alex Salmond . She campaigned to inherit Salmonds Scottish Parliament seat in Aberdeenshire East but withdrew to focus on her business career . Outside politics Robertson is a music fan , and particularly likes Metallica and Belle and Sebastian . He is a supporter of the Heart of Midlothian football team . Honours . In August 2016 , he was awarded the Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold for Services to the Austrian Republic . Positions held . - Party : - Parliamentary : External links . - personal website - SNP profile - STV News profile - Guardian profile - They Work For You - The Public Whip - 2009 Interview : Angus Robertson – politics.co.uk