Tag: death of Christina McKelvie MSP

First Minister leads tributes to Christina McKelvie

Holyrood endorses Motion of Condolence

First Minister John Swinney led Parliament in a Motion of Condolence for Christina McKelvie MSP, who sadly died on 27 March.

Party leaders, government Ministers and MSPs from across the chamber joined the First Minister in paying tribute to Christina, in the presence of her family.

The First Minister said: “Every cause to which Christina devoted herself was underpinned by the core values that she held throughout her life – equalities, fairness and social justice.

“She was a lifelong campaigner on nuclear disarmament. A proud feminist. A staunch socialist, a committed Trade Unionist. A nationalist and an internationalist – deeply devoted to Scotland realising her potential as an independent nation at the heart of Europe.

“In all, Christina made every day count. Even in recent years, when facing her cancer diagnosis, Christina was still thinking of others. She publicly encouraged women to check themselves and to attend their screening appointments. 

“She was so passionate about trying to improve the lives of others through her work as Minister for Drugs and Alcohol policy, that she was determined not to step back from her duties until she absolutely had to last summer.

“Christina was a much-loved member of the SNP family, but it was of course her own family that brought her the greatest happiness in her life. Everyone who knew Christina and her partner – our parliamentary colleague and my Party’s Deputy Leader, Keith Brown – could see how much happiness that they have brought each other. She always spoke of her pride in her sons Jack and Lewis as they grew up. And more recently, Christina had the unbridled joy of becoming a Granny.

“I express my deepest sympathy, and that of the government, to all of Christina’s family and friends at their very personal loss.

“In Christina’s heart, there was room for all of us. She was one of the kindest and the most generous people I have ever met in my life. My government has lost an outstanding Minister. My party has lost one of its finest Parliamentarians. And many people – of all parties and of none – have lost a true friend.

“But I know that we will all feel the glow of Christina’s warmth for years to come.”

About Christina

  • Christina was born on 4 March 1968. She became an MSP in 2007 latterly representing Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse from 2011.
  • She was Minister for Equalities from 2018 to 2023, when she became Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development, and was Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy from February 2024.
  • As an MSP she was Convener or the European and External Relations Committee and a member of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe between 2016 and 2018, and then Convener of the Equalities and Human Rights Committee from September 2016 until she was appointed a Minister in 2018.
  • Christina was a long standing and active member of the SNP and was also a trade unionist with Unison during her time working in social work services in Glasgow.
  • The Scottish Parliament has opened an online book of condolence. Comments left online will be collated and sent to Christina’s family.

First Minister pays tribute to Christina McKelvie MSP

Popular Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy has passed away

Following the news of the sad passing of Christina McKelvie MSP, the Scottish Government Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy, the First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney MSP, said: “I am devastated to learn of the passing of Christina McKelvie – one of the kindest and most generous people I have ever met in my life.

“In all the years since I first met Christina, I have been so grateful to call her my friend and colleague and to benefit from her warmth and loyalty.

“Christina was fiercely proud of her Easterhouse roots, and she often spoke of how injustices her family experienced in her childhood had inspired her to join the trade union movement and enter elected politics.

“In her almost two decades as a Member of the Scottish Parliament, Christina put her values into action. Whether it was helping her constituents in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, serving as a highly-respected committee convenor, or in the Ministerial posts she held, Christina was always a fierce champion for equality, social justice, for Scottish independence and for a better world.

“But for all her many political achievements, Christina was first and foremost deeply committed to her family. Everyone could see the joy that she and her partner Keith brought to each other’s lives, and she spoke so often over the years of her pride for her sons, and more recently her immense joy at becoming a granny.

“In recent years, when Christina returned to Parliament after treatment for breast cancer, she was determined to help those around her – using her platform to encourage women to check themselves and go to screening appointments.

“The Scottish National Party has lost one of its finest, and I have lost an outstanding Minister in my government. I know her loss will be felt right across the Parliament and among the countless constituents she supported over the years. Christina was such a big-hearted woman, with compassion and social justice at her core. Her political allies and opponents would agree – she truly was a force of nature.

“Today, my thoughts and prayers are with Keith, her sons Jack and Lewis and her wider family and many friends.”