Liam Kerr
Liam Kerr is a Scottish politician who is a Scottish Conservative and Unionist Member of Scottish Parliament for the North East Scotland region, elected in the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.[1]
Liam Kerr | |
|---|---|
 Kerr in 2016 | |
| Deputy Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party | |
| Assumed office 3 September 2019 Serving with Annie Wells since 14 February 2020 | |
| Leader | Jackson Carlaw |
| Preceded by | Jackson Carlaw |
| Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Justice for the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party | |
| Assumed office 28 June 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Douglas Ross |
| Member of the Scottish Parliament for North East Scotland | |
| Assumed office 6 May 2016 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 23 January 1975 |
| Political party | Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party |
| Occupation | Solicitor |
| Website | http://www.liamkerr.org.uk/ |
In 2017, Kerr was appointed as the Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Justice within the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party.[2]
During his time in office, he has become a popular face in Holyrood and, in September 2019, his hard work was rewarded with his promotion to Deputy Leader of the Scottish Conservatives.[3]
Early life and education
Liam Kerr grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland. He started his working life on £2.50 per hour as a chef in a Edinburgh restaurant. He was also as a session musician in London.[3]
After finishing his education, he spent some time working in London as a salesman in the telecoms industry. Upon deciding to change careers, he then trained as a lawyer, with a law firm based on the south coast of England.[3]
Kerr is a member and former chairman of the Aberdeen 100 Round Table, and a former member of St Fittick Rotary.[3]
Career
Liam Kerr moved to Aberdeen and became an employment lawyer in 2004. In his time at Aberdeen, he has given lectures at Robert Gordon University and the University of Aberdeen, been a director of two charities, and performed classical and jazz piano.[3]
He has been an Accredited Specialist employment lawyer since 2015. Prior to his election, he operated his own practice.[3]
Politics
Kerr is the Deputy Leader and Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Justice, for the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, in the Scottish Parliament.
In 2016, he stood for the Scottish Parliament as the Conservative candidate in Aberdeen Donside, coming second to the SNP's Mark McDonald, then was elected by the regional list.
In June 2017, Kerr was appointed by the Scottish Conservatives as their for spokesperson for Justice in the Scottish Parliament.[4] He sits on the Justice Committee and is deputy convenor of the Public Audit and Post-legislative Scrutiny Committee.[5]
Kerr ran a campaign to encourage the Scottish Government to take a tougher stance on those who harm animals working for the emergency services.[3]
A similar campaign ran by Kerr successfully caused the Scottish Government to cancel their plans to merge the British Transport Police and Police Scotland.[3]
On a local level, he has dealt with constituency cases from Dundee to Peterhead for many constituents and businesses.[3]
References
- "Election 2016: North East Scotland. Scottish Parliament region". BBC News. 6 May 2016.
- "MSPs". Conservative Party of Scotland. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- Kerr, Liam. "About Liam Kerr". Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- "Scottish Conservative's shadow cabinet reshuffle to put Sturgeon on notice". Scottish Conservative Party (Press release). Retrieved 31 July 2017.
- "Public Profile". Scottish Parliament. 31 July 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2017.