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David McLetchie
CBE
David McLetchie CBE
	Official portrait, 2011
Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party in the Scottish Parliament
	In office; 6 May 1999 – 31 October 2005
UK party leader	William Hague; Iain Duncan Smith; Michael Howard;
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Annabel Goldie
Succeeded by
Parliamentary offices
Member of the Scottish Parliament; for Lothian; (1 of 7 Regional MSPs)
	In office; 6 May 2011 – 12 August 2013
Succeeded by	Cameron Buchanan
	In office; 6 May 1999 – 1 May 2003
Member of the Scottish Parliament; for Edinburgh Pentlands
	In office; 1 May 2003 – 5 May 2011
Preceded by	Iain Gray
Succeeded by	Gordon MacDonald
Scottish Conservative portfolios
2007–2011	Chief Whip of the Scottish Conservative Party
2011–2013	Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Justice
Personal details
Born	David William McLetchie; 6 August 1952; Edinburgh, Scotland
Died	12 August 2013 (aged 61); Edinburgh, Scotland
Political party	Scottish Conservatives
Spouse	Sheila
Children	1 child, 2 stepchildren
Alma mater	University of Edinburgh

David William McLetchie CBE (6 August 1952 – 12 August 2013) was a Scottish politician who served as Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 1999 to 2005. He was Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Edinburgh Pentlands constituency from 2003 to 2011 and the Lothian region from 1999 to 2003 and 2011 to 2013.

Early life and career

Born in Edinburgh, McLetchie attended Leith Academy and George Heriot's School and graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a degree in law in 1974. He trained as a solicitor with Shepherd and Wedderburn, before joining Tods Murray where he was assumed a partner. He specialised in tax, trusts, and estate planning. In 1979, he contested the Edinburgh Central seat for the Conservatives, but lost to Robin Cook of the Labour Party.

Member of the Scottish Parliament

Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party

McLetchie became Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party upon the creation of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, having been elected in the 1998 Scottish Conservative Party leadership election. He was forced to resign as Scottish Conservative leader following a scandal over his expense claims in 2005.

Resignation

McLetchie announced his resignation as Scottish Conservative Party leader on 31 October 2005, after it was revealed he had spent £11,500 of taxpayers' money on taxi fares, more than any other MSP.^[1] The problem was not so much the large bill, but that he had used taxis for Conservative party business (as opposed to constituency business). His successor as leader was Annabel Goldie.

Backbencher

McLetchie was elected as an additional member for the Lothians region in 1999 and the Edinburgh Pentlands constituency in 2003. Following his resignation as leader, he had a short spell as a backbencher in the Parliament though he remained a prominent figure, his major successes from this period include his campaigns on free personal care and road pricing.

McLetchie was re-elected in Edinburgh Pentlands in 2007 with an increased share of the vote and his majority doubled. On his return, he was made Conservative Chief Whip and business manager, a role which was set to be more important than ever before; given the minority SNP administration. However, he lost his seat to Gordon MacDonald of the SNP in 2011. Although not re-elected in Pentlands, he was returned to Parliament as a "list" MSP for the Lothian region.

Personal life

McLetchie was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2013 Birthday Honours.^[2] He died of cancer on 12 August 2013, aged 61.^[3]^[4]

Notes

^ Normally, regional MSPs do not have individual predecessors and successors. However, McLetchie died during a sitting parliament so was succeeded by Buchanan.

References

^ "McLetchie resigns as Tory leader". BBC News. 31 October 2005. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
^ "No. 60534". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 June 2013. p. 8.
^ "Ex-Conservative leader David McLetchie dies". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
^ "Former Scottish Conservative leader David McLetchie dies". BBC. 12 August 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.

External links

Scottish Parliament profiles of MSPs: David McLetchie
Biography from the Scottish Conservative website

Scottish Parliament
Preceded by Iain Gray	Member of the Scottish Parliament for Edinburgh Pentlands 2003–2011	Succeeded by Gordon MacDonald
Party political offices
Preceded by None	Leader of the Scottish Conservatives 1999–2005	Succeeded by Annabel Goldie