Neil Gray

Neil Gray is a politician, a member of the Scottish National Party (SNP). He is a Member of Parliament (MP) from the Airdrie and Shotts constituency. The constituency is located in central Scotland and comes within the North Lanarkshire council area. Winning from Airdrie and Shotts has been a significant achievement for Gray, as the constituency was a stronghold of the Labour Party till 2010. The constituency came into existence in 1997 and it was won thrice by Labour party candidates. Gray changed that trend in 2015 when he won the elections, defeating his nearest rival Pamela Nash of Labour Party. Gray subsequently won the 2017 and 2019 elections from Airdrie and Shotts.

Early life and education

Neil Gray was born on March 16, 1986 in Kirkwall, Scotland. He spent his early years in Orkney and received education at Kirkwall Grammar School. He later attended University of Stirling, from where he completed his graduation in 2008. He was conferred a first-class B.A. (Bachelor of Arts – Honours) degree with specialization in politics and journalism. Prior to launching his political career, Gray had worked as a reporter and producer with BBC Radio Orkney.

Political career

During his initial political career, Neil Gray had shouldered the responsibility of a press and research intern. He had worked in this position for SNP parliamentary group that was functional at the Scottish Parliament. Later, Gray had also worked with Scottish politician Alexander Neil from 2008 onwards. In 2011, Gray was given the responsibility of constituency office manager.

Neil Gray’s big break came in 2015 when he was chosen to represent the Airdrie & Shotts constituency. There were other candidates within the party who were hopeful of getting selected for the candidacy. However, it was Gray who was finally nominated to represent the Airdrie & Shotts constituency. Gray currently holds the office of Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Work and Pensions). Offices held by Gray earlier included:

• Member, Draft Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal) Bill Committee
• Member, Finance Committee (Commons)
• Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Social Justice)
• Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Fair Work and Employment)
• Member, Finance Committee (Commons)
• Member, Palace of Westminster (Joint Committee)

During his political career, Neil Gray has voted on a number of key issues such as including a proportional system for the election of MPs, removal of hereditary peers from the House of Lords, not replacing Trident with another new nuclear command system, not reducing welfare benefits, and higher benefits for people with disability or illness.

Personal pursuits

Neil Gray has an avid interest in sports. He had represented Scotland in 400m race. However, his sporting career came to an end due to a serious knee injury.