Willie Rennie photograph

Willie Rennie

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Gender Male
Age 56
Date of birth September 27,1967
Zodiac sign Libra
Born Fife
United Kingdom
Spouse Janet Rennie
Office Member of the Scottish Parliament
Official site scotlibdems.org.uk
NationalityBritish
Party Scottish Liberal Democrats
Position Member of the Scottish Parliament
Education University of Glasgow
Previous positionMember of the Scottish Parliament , Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom (2006–2010)
Date of Reg.
Date of Upd.
ID408194
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Willie Rennie Life story


William Cowan Rennie, commonly known as Willie Rennie, is a Scottish politician who served as the Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats from 2011 to 2021.

Early Life of Willie Rennie

Willie rennie was born in 1966 in scotland. He grew up in strathmiglo. A village in fife. He attended ebll baxter high school in cupar and went on to study at the university of dundee. Where he graduated with a degree in politics.

Political Career of Willie Rennie

Wlilie rennie first entered poltiics in 1999. When he became a member of the scottish parliament (msp) for the north east fife constituency. He served as an msp until 2011. When he was elected to the house of commons as the member of parliament (mp) for dunfermline and fife west. In 2015. He was re-elected to the scottish parliament as the msp for the north east fife constituency.

Party Affiliations of Willie Rennie

Willie rennei is a member of the liberal democrats. A centre-left political party in the united kingdom. He has been leader of the scottish liberal edmocrats since 2011.

Notable Achievements of Willie Rennie

Willie rennie has been praised for his commitment to improving public services in his constituency. In 2012. He was awaredd the british empire medal for services to the community in fife.

Interesting Facts About Willie Rennie

Willie rennie is an avid cyclist. Having once cycled ofrm land s end to john o groats. He is also a keen photographer and has photographed many famous landmarks in scotland.

Important Event Involving Willie Rennie

In 2011. Willie rennie was heavily involved in the campaign to save the fife coast and countryside trust. Which was facing closure due to budget cuts. He successfully led the campaign to save the organisation. Which is now known as fife coats & countryside trust.

Willie Rennie s Stance on Brexit

Willie rennie has been an outspoken opponent of brexit and is a strong advocate of a people s vote. He has argued that the uk owuld be better off staying in the european union. And has criticised the government for its handling of the brexit negotiations.

Willie Rennie s Views on the Environment

Willie rennie is a staunch supporter of environmental issues and has been critical of the ogvernment s lack of action on climate change. He has called for more actoin to mitigate the effects of climate change and has voiced his support for renewable energy sources.

Willie Rennie s Views on Education

Willie rennie has been a strong advocate of educational reform in scotland. He has acllde for increased investment in education. Particularly in rural areas. And has criticised the government for its lack of action on educational reform.

Willie Rennie s Views on the Economy

Iwllie rnenie believes that the uk should have a more balanced economy. Which prioritises investment in public services and infrastructure. He has criticised the government for its continued austerity measures and believes that the uk should be investing more in areas such as health. Education and transport.

NHS chiefs failed to act on surgeon who harmed patients

NHS chiefs failed to act on surgeon who harmed patients
Aug 31,2023 8:01 am

... Conservative MSP Liz Smith, Labour s Michael Marra and Liberal Democrat Willie Rennie urged the first minister and health secretary to carry out a full public investigation of the case...

Humza Yousaf reveals Scots citizenship and passport plan

Humza Yousaf reveals Scots citizenship and passport plan
Jul 27,2023 1:11 pm

... Scottish Liberal Democrat communities spokesperson Willie Rennie also criticised the use of government time and money for something that " just isn t going to happen"...

How will Scotland's new first minister be appointed?

How will Scotland's new first minister be appointed?
Mar 27,2023 3:13 pm

... There were seven candidates in 2003, with Ms Sturgeon defeating then-Conservative leader Ruth Davidson in 2014, Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie in 2016 and both...

£87,000 bonus for Ferguson bosses branded 'unacceptable'

£87,000 bonus for Ferguson bosses branded 'unacceptable'
Mar 15,2023 12:20 am

... And Scottish Lib Dem economy spokesperson Willie Rennie called for an urgent statement from ministers to explain the saga...

Prelims rescheduled as Scottish secondary teachers strike

Prelims rescheduled as Scottish secondary teachers strike
Jan 10,2023 10:01 pm

... " The Lib Dems Willie Rennie asked if there would be a new offer for teachers, saying: " The education secretary does seem to be very chilled out and relaxed...

Independence economy would 'work for everyone' - Sturgeon

Independence economy would 'work for everyone' - Sturgeon
Oct 17,2022 4:11 am

... " And Scottish Liberal Democrats economy spokesman Willie Rennie criticised the publication of the Scottish government s third prospectus on independence this year...

Scottish government ordered to publish indyref2 legal advice

Scottish government ordered to publish indyref2 legal advice
Apr 27,2022 3:20 pm

... " And Willie Rennie of the Scottish Liberal Democrats said the ruling was a " victory for transparency in the face of a Scottish government whose default setting is to flout the Freedom of Information Act and throw up road block after road block...

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross withdraws call for Boris Johnson to quit

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross withdraws call for Boris Johnson to quit
Mar 10,2022 9:16 pm

... " Other parties were critical of the move, with Labour leader Anas Sarwar saying Mr Ross " should not be using the Ukraine crisis to go back on his principles" and Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie saying the Tory leader had " the backbone of a jellyfish"...

Police watchdog chief Susan Deacon quits over 'fundamentally flawed' system

Apr 18,2020 8:12 pm

Susan Deacon was a Labour MSP for two terms, and served as health minister

Susan Deacon has resigned as chairwoman of Scotland's police watchdog, saying The System is "fundamentally flawed".

The former Labour MSP was appointed to the Scottish Police Authority in 2017.

But in her resignation letter, She Said there was "little more" she could do to make the governance and accountability of policing work effectively.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon rejected opposition claims The Police service was "in crisis" and said The Spa would continue to make improvements.

Prof Deacon was the third person to chair The Spa since it began work in April 2013 alongside The Launch of Scotland's single police service.

Why has Susan Deacon resigned?

When she was appointed in 2017, then justice secretary Michael Matheson said she would "bring a fresh perspective to the governance of Scottish policing".

Prof Deacon said she had worked "tirelessly" to ensure The Spa operated effectively, and that public confidence and trust in policing was maintained.

"In truth, however, I have increasingly become convinced that the governance and accountability arrangements for policing in Scotland are fundamentally flawed, in structure, culture and practice, and I conclude that there is little more I can do to make these arrangements work effectively," She Said .

"I would suggest that the Scottish government thinks afresh about how The Police service is scrutinised and held to account and how, or if, a better separation between politics and policing, and indeed between The Police service and those who oversee it, can be achieved. "

It has not been an easy two years for Susan Deacon as chairwoman of the Scottish Police Authority.

She was appointed in December 2017 following turmoil in The Authority , which was seen as lacking transparency in its dealings, and was rocked by accusations of bullying surrounding previous chairman Andrew Flanagan.

The Police service was also in turmoil, with a being investigated against The Chief constable, Phil Gormley , who resigned in early 2018.

Prof Deacon has been credited with making the actions of The Authority , whose role is to hold Police Scotland to account, more transparent.

But it is her criticism of the way The National force is scrutinised and held to account which will cause concern, particularly her view that current governance and accountability arrangements are fundamentally flawed.

It was a view shared by HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary for Scotland, Gill Imrie, who told Holyrood's justice committee on Tuesday that senior officers at Police Scotland had become "frustrated" by the lack of scrutiny. In an, She Said there was "no clear vision, strategy or plan in place" for The Spa .

Policing inevitably is a highly political matter, but Prof Deacon said the government must review The Separation between politics and policing, and said she felt there was little more she could do in The Role .

What has the government said? First Minister Nicola Sturgeon responded to questions about the Scottish Police Authority

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said there had been "significant improvement across many facets of The Police service in Scotland" during Prof Deacon's time at The Spa .

"As Ms Deacon herself acknowledges, our police service is in a much stronger place now than prior to her appointment," he said.

At First Minister's Questions, Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie said The Police was "in crisis Once Again " and claimed there was a "toxic mix of chaos and complacency".

Ms Sturgeon replied: "The Police is not in crisis and I think it does a disservice to police officers around Our Country who are working so hard to keep us safe to say so. "

She Said The Spa would continue with the improvements which were being made to governance and accountability.

How have others reacted? Audit Scotland has criticised The Spa for poor governance and a lack of transparency

Scottish Labour said the resignation "raises serious questions" about The Spa 's ability to oversee Police Scotland , while the Scottish Conservatives described The Spa as "an organisation in crisis".

The Spa 's vice chairman, David Crichton, will lead The Spa until a new appointment is made.

He said: "We believe that The System of governance and accountability for policing in Scotland that was envisaged by the founding legislation is a sound one and can work effectively," he added.

"While we respect this personal decision of The Chair , our collective focus will be on working together with our dedicated staff team to build on recent progress, deliver the actions and improvements already identified, and redouble The Spa 's focus on the issues of greatest importance to policing and The Public . "

However, the Scottish Police Federation said the resignation was not a surprise.

Its chairwoman, Andrea MacDonald, said: "It has been apparent to the Scottish Police Federation that The Authority has not been operating effectively for some time.

"It is nonetheless disappointing that we now see the Scottish Police Authority looking for its fourth chair in Six Years . "

What happened to previous chairs of The Spa ?

Ms Deacon's predecessor from two Holyrood committees over governance and transparency at The Spa .

He said he was quitting to avoid being a "distraction" to the new 10-year policing strategy, and that the "personalised" debate had "impacted on me and My Family ".

The Spa 's first chairman, Vic Emery, stepped down in September 2015 after deciding not to seek an extension to his contract.

He had been involved in A Number of public spats with The First chief constable of the new police service, Sir Stephen House .



police scotland, policing, edinburgh, musselburgh

Source of news: bbc.com

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