AN MSP has announced she is expecting her first child.
Green MSP Gillian Mackay, 33, announced on Twitter/X that she and her partner are due to have their first baby in July.
Mackay – who was elected as Central Scotland’s first ever Green MSP in 2021 – got married to her partner Alex in October 2023.
In the tweet, she reflected on 2024 having been a huge year with her Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Bill passing at Holyrood, enabling 200m protest-free zones to be put in place around abortion clinics.
Mackay posted: “2024 was busy with the bill passing, finally getting on honeymoon and some huge wins in the region for communities.
“2025 is going to be just as busy for Alex and I. We are so pleased to announce that we are expecting with the wee one due in July.”
Mackay has previously written for The National expressing the challenges women in politics face.
In the piece, she said she was “dismayed” at some of the comments aimed at Mairi McAllan when she announced her pregnancy earlier this year.
The Energy Secretary went on maternity leave in the summer with Gillian Martin stepping in to take her brief.
Mackay said at the time: “I found Mairi’s words about balancing high office and having a family to be really thought-provoking and I thank her for passing on her knowledge.
“I got married in October and I’m sure at some point my husband and I will want to start a family of our own and had never really thought about the impact on how I do things now.
“There are very few young mums in Parliament and those who have navigated this path before us will inevitably be asked to pass their knowledge on.”
Earlier this year, Mackay’s bill passed overwhelmingly at Holyrood with only John Mason voting against it.
Buffer zones officially came into law in Scotland in September, with people banned from holding anti-abortion protests within 200m of a clinic or hospital offering terminations.
