Tess White Explained

Tess White
Party:Scottish Conservatives
Honorific-Suffix:MSP
Term Start:8 May 2021
Office:Member of the Scottish Parliament
for North East Scotland
Caption:Swearing in, 2021

Tess White is a Scottish Conservative politician, serving as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the North East Scotland Region since being elected in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.[1]

Career

White worked in the oil and gas industry and served as a board director at Shell Renewables, vice president of Shell International and HR director at Centrica.[2]

Political career

White unsuccessfully stood as the Conservative candidate for Dundee West at the 2019 United Kingdom general election,[3] where she came in third.[4] She unsuccessfully stood as the Conservative candidate for the Holyrood equivalent Dundee City West in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, coming third, but she was elected on the regional list in North East Scotland.[5]

During a session of First Ministers' Questions on 2 September 2021, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was answering a question about anti-Irish and anti-Catholic discrimination in Scotland. As Sturgeon said "...anybody who chooses to live in Scotland [...] this is their home", White interrupted and shouted across the chamber, "unless you're English".[6] She later apologised and withdrew her remark in the parliamentary chamber.[7]

On 12 January 2022, White called for Boris Johnson to resign as Conservative party leader and Prime Minister over the Westminster lockdown parties controversy along with a majority of Scottish Conservative MSPs.[8]

Personal life

White is openly gay[9] [10] and has a wife.[11]

Notes and References

  1. News: Gossip . Alastair . Aberdeen city council co-leader to step down as Tories dominate list vote and Alba miss out . 9 May 2021 . Press and Journal . DC Thomson Media . Aberdeen Journals Ltd . 8 May 2021.
  2. News: Penman . Hamish . Scottish Election: North-east MSPs set out vision for energy transition . 23 May 2021 . Energy Voice . DC Thomson Media . 9 May 2021.
  3. News: Bell. Matteo. 11 December 2019. General Election 2019 - who are the candidates vying for the Dundee West seat?. Evening Telegraph. DC Thomson Media. 23 May 2021.
  4. News: 13 December 2019. Dundee West parliamentary constituency - Election 2019 - BBC News. BBC. BBC. 23 May 2021.
  5. News: Finnis . Alexander . 6 May 2021 . The full list of candidates standing in the 2021 Scottish election . en . inews.co.uk . Associated Newspaper Ltd . 9 May 2021.
  6. News: Andrews. Kieran. Nicola Sturgeon 'deeply offended' over anti-English accusation by Tess White. en. 2 September 2021. The Times. 2 September 2021. 0140-0460.
  7. News: Tory MSP apologises after 'anti-English' slur against Sturgeon. 2 September 2021. The Herald. 2 September 2021. en.
  8. Web site: Green. Chris. 12 January 2022. Majority of Scottish Tories' 31 MSPs at Holyrood now openly calling for the Prime Minister to resign.. 2022-01-12. Twitter. en.
  9. https://x.com/TessWhite4NE/status/1788544075886453066
  10. https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/sisters-ordeal-left-msp-open-to-considering-a-change-in-the-law-on-rights-to-assisted-dying/
  11. https://x.com/TessWhite4NE/status/1812022559707156748