Introduction
Callum McCaig (born 6 January 1985) is a Scottish National Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for Aberdeen South since May 2015. He is the SNP Energy and Climate Change spokesperson in the House of Commons. McCaig was elected as a councillor on Aberdeen City Council in 2007, and was the Leader of Aberdeen City Council from 2011 until 2012.
Early life
Born in Aberdeen, he was educated at Cults Academy, before studying at the University of Edinburgh, where he graduated with an MA (Hons) in Politics. and then worked for the SNP MSP, Maureen Watt, as a Parliamentary Assistant.
Political career
McCaig was first elected to Aberdeen City Council in 2007, topping the polling in the Kincorth/Loirston ward with 1,883 first preferences and taking the first seat exceeding the quota. Following the election, the Scottish Liberal Democrats formed a coalition with the SNP to run the Council. On 23 May 2011, McCaig took over as leader of the SNP group on the council. After two by-election victories during 2011, the SNP became the largest party on the Council, and in June 2011, their then Council leader stepped down to become Deputy Council leader. As a result, Callum McCaig, who had been acting as Deputy Council leader, became the leader of the Council on 28 June 2011. At the time, at the age of 26 he was one of the youngest council leaders in all of the United Kingdom.
He was re-elected as a councillor in 2012, having polled 1,389 first preferences and having topped the poll in the ward. After the elections he remained the group leader of an enlarged SNP delegation, but was no longer the Council leader after the Scottish Labour Party group formed an administration with the support of the Conservatives and Independents.
McCaig was elected as the Member of Parliament for Aberdeen South in the 2015 general election, where he won the seat from Labour's Anne Begg with a 20 per cent swing.