Jamie Halcro Johnston

Jamie Halcro Johnston
MSP
Official portrait, 2017
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Highlands and Islands
(1 of 7 Regional MSPs)
Incumbent
Assumed office
20 June 2017
Preceded byDouglas Ross[a]
Scottish Conservative portfolios
2021–2024Shadow Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise
2024–presentShadow Minister for Agriculture, Connectivity and the Islands
Personal details
Born
Jamie Halcro Johnston

(1975-10-08) 8 October 1975
Oxford, Oxfordshire, England
Political partyConservative
Alma materUniversity of Exeter
WebsiteOfficial website

Jamie Halcro Johnston (born 8 October 1975) is a British politician who is a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Highlands and Islands region since 2017. A member of the Scottish Conservative Party, he also serves as their Shadow Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise.

Background

Halcro Johnston was brought up at his family home in Orphir in Orkney. His father, Hugh Halcro Johnston, previously served as Convener of Orkney Islands Council. His great-great uncle is Henry Halcro Johnston, a botanist, British Army Officer and Scotland rugby union international.[1]

Educated at Radley College, Halcro Johnston studied at Coventry University and the University of Exeter, where he received a BA (Hons) in Ancient History. He was previously employed by the Financial Times in London and, between 2003 and 2007, he worked as an adviser to a number of Scottish Conservative MSPs, before moving to a position at Holyrood magazine.[2][3][4]

Political career

Halcro Johnston ran as the Scottish Conservatives' candidate in Moray at the 2005 UK general election, finishing runner up with 8,520 votes (22%).[5]

Halcro Johnston later stood for election to the Scottish Parliament at the 2007 election, coming last with 4,635 votes (11.7%), in Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber.[6][7]

At the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, Halcro Johnston contested the Orkney constituency, where he took 686 votes.[8]

He stood again in Orkney at the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, finishing third with 435 votes (4.1%).[9]Halcro Johnston was also placed fourth on the party list for the Highlands and Islands region.[10]The party, having gained 44,693 votes in the region, were entitled to three list seats with Halcro Johnston missing out.[11]

Halcro Johnston was the Conservative candidate for Orkney and Shetland at the 2017 general election, where he took fourth place with 2,024 votes (8.7%).[12]

In the Scottish Parliament

On 20 June 2017, Halcro Johnston was moved up the list to succeed Douglas Ross as a Highlands and Islands Member of the Scottish Parliament, after the latter was elected as an MP in the general election.[13] [14]

After entering the Scottish Parliament, he was appointed by party leader Ruth Davidson as the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Shadow Minister for Jobs, Employability and Training.[15] He served as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism, being appointed by leader Douglas Ross in 2020.[16]

In the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, Halcro Johnston stood in the Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch constituency, finishing in second place with 19.3% of the vote.[17][18] He was placed fourth again on the Highlands and Islands regional list, though was re-elected this time, with the Scottish Conservatives increasing their number of MSPs in the region from three to four, at the expense of Scottish Labour.[19][20]

Notes

  1. ^ Normally, regional MSPs do not have individual predecessors and successors. However, Ross retired his seat during a sitting parliament so was succeeded by Halcro Johnston.

References

  1. ^ "Local MSP helps rekindle the 'Auld Alliance' against French Parliament". Inside Moray. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  2. ^ "Jamie Halcro Johnston MSP". Highlands and Islands Conservatives. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  3. ^ "Jamie Halcro Johnston – Careers and Employability". University of Exeter. Retrieved 11 September 2018.|
  4. ^ "About". Jamie Halcro Johnston MSP website. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  5. ^ "BBC News - Election 2005 - Result in Moray". BBC News. 6 May 2005. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  6. ^ "Inverness East, Nairn & Lochaber". The Herald. 4 May 2007. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  7. ^ "2007 Election Results". Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  8. ^ "2011 Election Results". Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  9. ^ "Orkney Islands - Scottish Parliament election 2016". BBC News. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  10. ^ "Scottish Parliament elections - Highlands and Islands region". Who Can I Vote For?. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  11. ^ "Highlands and Islands – Scottish Parliament electoral region – Election 2016 – BBC News". Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  12. ^ "Orkney and Shetland general election results 2017". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  13. ^ "Two new Conservative MSPs sworn in at Holyrood". BBC News. 20 June 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  14. ^ Gordon, Tom (13 June 2017). "Tory struggle to fill MSP vacancy after general election success". the Herald. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  15. ^ Kirkaldy, Liam (28 June 2017). "Ruth Davidson unveils reshuffled Scottish Tory shadow cabinet". Holyrood Magazine. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  16. ^ "Halcro Johnston appointed to the Shadow Cabinet". www.shetlandtimes.co.uk. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  17. ^ "Skye, Lochaber & Badenoch - Scottish Parliament election 2021". BBC News. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  18. ^ "Scottish Parliamentary Election 2021 result for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch constituency". Highland Council. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  19. ^ "Conservatives gain one MSP in Highlands and Islands regional list vote as Labour lose out". Grampian Online. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  20. ^ "Highlands and Islands 2021 - Ballot Box Scotland". Ballot Box Scotland. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
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