Alex Rowley

Born in Dunfermline and raised in Kelty, Rowley was educated at St Columba's High School in Dunfermline.{{Cite web|url=http://www.alexrowley.org/school-visits/|title=School Visits – Alex Rowley MSP|date=18 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201218051154/http://www.alexrowley.org/school-visits/|archive-date=18 December 2020}} He studied for an MA Honours in sociology and politics at Newbattle Abbey College in Dalkeith and the University of Edinburgh and later for an MSc in community education at Edinburgh.{{cite web|url=http://artsweb.bham.ac.uk/bmms/1999/05May99.asp|title=BMMS May 1999|publisher=Artsweb.bham.ac.uk|access-date=15 February 2012}}

Rowley was General Secretary of the Scottish Labour Party for one year, from May 1998 to May 1999. He was first elected to Fife Regional Council in 1990 when he was Chairman of Finance, and he later became the first leader of the new Fife Council, a position he returned to in 2012 until his election to the Scottish Parliament in 2014.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}

Prior to his election to the Scottish Parliament, Rowley was a Fife Council member (re-elected in 2007) and Labour Council Group Leader.{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/348080.stm|title=Labour denies London control claim|website=BBC News}} He worked as an education official with the TUC and worked for five years as an assistant, election agent and constituency manager to Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Despite being on the political left-wing of the party, he was considered Brown's right-hand man and protégé (Brown was one of Tony Blair's key partners during the New Labour era).{{cite web|url=http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/244052|title=Home of the Daily and Sunday Express|publisher=Express.co.uk|date=1 May 2011|access-date=15 February 2012}}{{cite news|author=Jack O'Sullivan Scotland Correspondent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/parliament-scotland-labour-sacks-scots-party-chief-1094881.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216151532/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/parliament-scotland-labour-sacks-scots-party-chief-1094881.html |archive-date=2013-12-16 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|title=Parliament: Scotland: Labour sacks Scots party chief|work=The Independent|date=21 May 1999|access-date=15 February 2012|location=London, UK}}{{cite news|title=Kezia Dugdale steps down as Scottish Labour's leader|url=https://www.economist.com/news/britain/21727940-vacancy-hands-opportunity-partys-left-kezia-dugdale-steps-down-scottish-labours|work=The Economist|date=2 September 2017}} He stood in the 2011 Scottish Parliament election as a Labour candidate for Dunfermline.

Rowley declared his candidacy for the Scottish Labour Party's 2015 deputy leadership election, and was supported in his candidacy by trade unions ASLEF, CWU, NUM, Scottish Co-Operative Party, Socialist Health Association, TSSA, UCATT, and UNISON. He comfortably won the first round preferences of votes from the labour party membership and secured victory with over half the votes in the second round of voting. He was elected on 15 August 2015.{{Cite news|date=15 August 2015|title=Dugdale named Scottish Labour leader|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-33942238|access-date=2019-01-25}} Following Kezia Dugdale's resignation, he took over as acting Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, until the new leader was elected.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-41082916|title=Kezia Dugdale quits as Scottish Labour leader|date=29 August 2017|via=bbc.co.uk}}

In September 2017, a leaked recording that was taken without permission and sold to The Scottish Sun, featuring Rowley at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton, led to accusations of a plot to oust Dugdale and replace her with Richard Leonard. Rowley said he backed Leonard to become leader to a member of the public, as well as party member, in a conversation that turned out to be a freelance journalist secretly recording the conversation undercover. Rowley had stated he would remain neutral, but was unaware of being recorded by what turned out to be a journalist trying to sell a story. He apologised for the leaked recording, but strenuously denied being involved in or even aware of any plots within the Labour Party to remove Dugdale.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-41429287|title=Rowley 'gutted' over leadership row tape|date=28 September 2017|access-date=2019-01-28|language=en-GB}}

From October 2018 to September 2019, Rowley served as Scottish Labour Spokesperson for Communities and Local Government.{{Cite web|url=https://scottishlabour.org.uk/media/scottish-labours-shadow-cabinet/|title=Scottish Labour's Shadow Cabinet|date=4 October 2018|website=Scottish Labour|language=en|access-date=2019-01-28}} During the 2019 Scottish budget process, Rowley was reprimanded by the Scottish Labour leader due to Rowley's personal discussions with the SNP Finance Secretary about supporting the budget in exchange for cuts to local government being substituted for Higher Education cuts in breach of Scottish Labour Party policy and undermining the budget spokesperson James Kelly.{{Cite web|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17421885.scottish-labour-leader-urged-to-sack-colleague-over-budget-humiliation/|title=Scottish Labour leader urged to sack colleague over Budget 'humiliation'|website=HeraldScotland|language=en|access-date=2019-07-08}}

Rowley became Scottish Labour Spokesperson for Brexit and Constitutional Relations in September 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/scottish-labour-reshuffle-as-sarah-boyack-returns-to-frontline-politics-1-4995872|title=Scottish Labour reshuffle as Sarah Boyack returns to frontline politics|website=www.scotsman.com|language=en|access-date=2019-09-03}} In November 2020, he was moved to the role of shadow economy minister.{{Cite web|date=2020-11-16|title=Anas Sarwar returns to Labour frontbench in reshuffle|url=https://news.stv.tv/politics/anas-sarwar-returns-to-labour-frontbench-in-reshuffle|access-date=2020-12-02|website=STV News|language=en-GB}} He nominated Monica Lennon in the 2021 Scottish Labour leadership election.{{Cite web|title=Scottish Leadership Election 2021 – Nominations|url=http://scottishlabour.org.uk/people/2021-leadership-election/nominations/|access-date=2021-01-26|website=Scottish Labour|language=en}} After Anas Sarwar won the leadership election, he promoted Rowley to Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity.{{Cite web|last=Rodgers|first=Sienna|date=1 March 2021|title=Sarwar unveils new 'campaign cabinet' to lead Scottish Labour into election|url=https://labourlist.org/2021/03/sarwar-unveils-new-campaign-cabinet-to-lead-scottish-labour-into-election/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-03-02|website=LabourList|language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301142143/https://labourlist.org/2021/03/sarwar-unveils-new-campaign-cabinet-to-lead-scottish-labour-into-election/ |archive-date=1 March 2021 }}

On 6 March 2025, he announced he would stand down at the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.{{cite news |date=7 March 2025 |title=Fife MSP announces plans to stand down at next Scottish election |url=https://www.fifetoday.co.uk/news/politics/fife-msp-announces-plans-to-stand-down-at-next-scottish-election-5021106 |access-date=7 March 2025 |work=Fife Today}}

Rowley has three adult children, a granddaughter, and a grandson. He is the father of Danielle Rowley, who served as MP for Midlothian from the 2017 general election until the 2019 general election.

On 15 November 2017, Rowley resigned as deputy leader and referred himself to an internal investigation after a former partner took to the Scottish Sun to accuse him of sending her disrespectful text messages four years previously.{{Cite web|date=2019-10-04|title=Alex Rowley steps down as interim Scottish Labour leader|url=https://www.holyrood.com/news/view,alex-rowley-steps-down-as-interim-scottish-labour-leader_7924.htm|access-date=2020-10-09|website=Holyrood Website|language=en}} Former Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale and leadership candidate Anas Sarwar called for Rowley to be suspended from the party while the investigation was carried out.{{cite tweet |last=Eardley |first=Nick |user=nickeardleybbc |number=930750324943532032 |date=15 November 2017 |title=Kezia Dugdale says Alex Rowley should be suspended by party https://t.co/3Gref5pBKM |language=en |access-date=4 January 2021}}{{cite tweet |last=Samson |first=Kathryn |user=STVKathryn |number=930818010054647809 |date=15 November 2017 |title=@AnasSarwar calls for Alex Rowley to be suspended while investigation carried out. https://t.co/zaSdSF4QfW |language=en |access-date=4 January 2021}} Rowley claimed there was a determined attempt to use the media to damage him and his family for political purposes. The investigation concluded there was no case to answer as the party had not received a formal complaint. A party spokesperson added: "The party was approached by newspapers with unsubstantiated claims, with no evidence shared with the Labour party prior to publication in the Sun newspaper."{{Cite web|date=16 November 2017|title=Labour received "no formal complaint" about Alex Rowley|url=https://www.holyrood.com/articles/news/labour-received-%E2%80%98no-formal-complaint%E2%80%99-about-alex-rowley|access-date=2019-01-28|website=Holyrood Magazine|language=en|archive-date=21 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421195102/https://www.holyrood.com/articles/news/labour-received-%E2%80%98no-formal-complaint%E2%80%99-about-alex-rowley|url-status=dead}}

{{reflist}}

• {{SP-MSP}}
• [http://www.alexrowley.org/ www.alexrowley.org]
• [https://scottishlabour.org.uk/people/msps/ Scottish Labour MSPs]

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{{s-ttl|title=General Secretary of Scottish Labour|years=1998–1999}}

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{{s-bef|rows=2|before=Kezia Dugdale}}

{{s-ttl|title=Deputy Leader of Scottish Labour|years=2015–2017}}

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{{s-ttl|title=Leader of Scottish Labour
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{{Scottish Labour Party leadership election, 2015}}

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Category:1963 births

Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh

Category:Councillors in Fife

Category:Labour MSPs

Category:Leaders of Scottish Labour

Category:Living people

Category:Members of the Scottish Parliament 2011–2016

Category:Members of the Scottish Parliament 2016–2021

Category:Members of the Scottish Parliament 2021–2026

Category:People educated at St Columba's Roman Catholic High School, Dunfermline

Category:Scottish Labour councillors