Elaine Murray

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = Elaine Murray

| image = ElaineMurrayMSP20110510.JPG

| imagesize = 220px

| caption = Murray in 2011

| office1 = Leader of Dumfries and Galloway Council

| term_start1 = 23 May 2017

| deputy1 = Rob Davidson

| predecessor1 = Ronnie Nicholson

| office2 = Councillor for Nith,
Dumfries & Galloway

| term_start2 = 5 May 2017

| predecessor2 = Colin Smyth

| office3 = Scottish Labour Group Leader,
Dumfries & Galloway Council

| term_start3 = 15 May 2017

| predecessor3 = Ronnie Nicholson

| office4 = Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Dumfriesshire
{{nobold|Dumfries (1999–2011)}}

| term_start4 = 6 May 1999

| term_end4 = 23 March 2016

| predecessor4 = Constituency established

| successor4 = Oliver Mundell

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1954|12|22|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England

| nationality = British

| party = Labour

| residence = Dumfries, Scotland

| alma_mater = University of Edinburgh, University of Cambridge

| occupation = Politician

| term_end1 = 5 May 2022

| term_end2 = 5 May 2022

| term_end3 = 5 May 2022

}}

Elaine Kildare Murray (born 22 December 1954) is a retired Scottish Labour politician. She was leader of Dumfries and Galloway Council for the 2017–2022 term. She was also the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Dumfries from 1999 to 2011, and then for Dumfriesshire from 2011 to 2016. At the 1999, 2003 and 2007 elections, Murray increased her percentage share of the vote. She was Shadow Minister for the Environment in the Scottish Parliament.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/representatives/profiles/32686.stm |title=Elaine Murray MSP |work=Democracy Live |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=5 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226191418/http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/representatives/profiles/32686.stm |archivedate=26 February 2015 }} She lost her seat in 2016.

In May 2017, Murray was elected one of four councillors in Dumfries and Galloway who represent the Nith ward and was elected the Group Leader of Labour in the council. She did not stand for re-election in 2022.

Background

Murray was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, where her Scottish parents lived at the time. She was brought up in Edinburgh, where she was a pupil at The Mary Erskine School,{{cite web|url=http://guidetoindependentschools.com/schools/view/285/Mary-Erskine-Girls-Mixed-sixth-with-Stewart-s-Melville-12-18-Day-and-Boarding|title=School Details – Mary Erskine|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114133508/http://guidetoindependentschools.com/schools/view/285/Mary-Erskine-Girls-Mixed-sixth-with-Stewart-s-Melville-12-18-Day-and-Boarding|archive-date=14 January 2016|publisher=The Guide to Independent Schools|accessdate=8 March 2014}} and graduated with an undergraduate degree in chemistry from the University of Edinburgh and a PhD in physical chemistry from the University of Cambridge.

After graduating from Cambridge, Murray first worked in scientific research, and from 1990–93 was an associate lecturer for the Open University.{{cite web|url=http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/m/20432/Elaine%20Kildare+MURRAY.aspx |title=Dr Elaine Murray, MSP |work=Debrett's |accessdate=5 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606053920/http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/m/20432/Elaine%20Kildare+MURRAY.aspx |archivedate=6 June 2013 }} At the same time, she worked for Alex Smith, Member of the European Parliament. In 1994 Murray was elected as a Councillor on Strathclyde Regional Council and in 1995 to South Ayrshire Council, where she was Convenor of Educational Services.

Member of the Scottish Parliament

Murray was elected as Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Dumfries constituency following the first Scottish Parliamentary elections in May 1999. She was re-elected in 2003 and then again in 2007, 2011 and 2016.

Murray was appointed Deputy Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport upon Jack McConnell becoming First Minister in 2001, a post she held until 2003. She has been a member of a number of Committees in the Scottish Parliament, including holding the post of Deputy Convenor of the Finance Committee between 2007 and 2008. Murray was Enterprise Spokesman under Wendy Alexander's leadership and upon election of Iain Gray as Leader of the Labour Group in the Scottish Parliament, she was appointed Shadow Minister for the Environment.

Murray was a member of the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee as well as Convenor of the Cross Party Groups on Science and Technology and Civil Nuclear Energy. She was also Vice-Convenor of the Life Sciences and Animal Welfare Cross Party Groups.

In September 2011, Murray announced her candidacy for the deputy leadership of the Scottish Labour Party.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-15099723|title=Elaine Murray to stand as Scottish Labour deputy leader|work=BBC News|accessdate=5 October 2011}} She withdrew in early November after failing to gain enough nominations. She claimed she could have got the sufficient number of nominations but said it was clear the Deputy Leadership role would go to a Westminster MP.{{cite news|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13039537.labour-deputy-leader-bid-ends/|title=Labour deputy leader bid ends|last=Dinwoodie|first=Robbie|date=5 November 2011|work=The Herald|accessdate=8 May 2016|url-access=subscription}}

At the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, Murray lost her seat to Oliver Mundell, a Conservative.{{cite news|title=Holyrood 2016: Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson wins Edinburgh Central|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2016-scotland-36219380|newspaper=BBC News|date=6 May 2016|accessdate=9 May 2016}}{{cite news |last=Dalziel |first=Magdalene |date=16 May 2016 |title=Ex-Dumfriesshire MSP Elaine Murray vows to return to the fray one day |url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/ex-dumfriesshire-msp-elaine-murray-7980091 |access-date=18 July 2022 |website=Daily Record |language=en}}

Dumfries and Galloway councillor

At the 2017 Scottish local elections, Murray stood for election in the Dumfries and Galloway ward of Nith and was elected as one of four councillors for the ward.{{cite news|url=https://www.gallowaygazette.co.uk/news/politics/local-elections-conservatives-are-largest-party-dumfries-and-galloway-council-2092817|title=Local elections: Conservatives are largest party in Dumfries and Galloway Council|author=The Newsroom|date=5 May 2017|work=The Galloway Gazette|accessdate=18 July 2022}} She later became leader of the council,{{cite news|url=https://www.itv.com/news/border/2017-05-24/elaine-murray-named-as-new-leader-of-d-g-council|title=Elaine Murray named as new leader of D&G Council|date=24 May 2017|publisher=ITV News|accessdate=18 July 2022}} but announced her retirement from politics in April 2022, saying: "I want to do other things while I'm still fit and healthy. I have been an elected representative in local or national politics for 27 out of the last 28 years and I feel that's long enough."{{cite news|url=https://planetradio.co.uk/westsound-fm/local/news/dumfries-council-leader-retiring/|title=Dumfries and Galloway Council leader stepping down at election|last=McLean|first=Marc|date=24 February 2022|publisher=West Sound|accessdate=18 July 2022}}