Liam McArthur

He was brought up on the Orkney Island of Sanday. He is married with two children.

He is the goalkeeper for Burray football team.

McArthur attended Sanday Junior High School, then Kirkwall Grammar School, where he boarded at the Papdale Halls of Residence throughout the week.

McArthur had previously worked as an aide to Jim Wallace in the House of Commons and as Special Adviser to the Deputy First Minister in 2002.

He was elected in the 2007 Parliament election to replace the retiring Jim Wallace, also a Liberal Democrat.[1] McArthur was subsequently re-elected in the 2011 Parliament election and again in the 2016 Parliament election with a substantially increased majority.

After being re-elected in the 2021 election, McArthur was elected as one of the two Deputy Presiding Officers of the Scottish Parliament.[2]

• 1987–1990: University of Edinburgh, Politics (MA)
• 1990–1992: Researcher, Jim Wallace MP (Orkney and Shetland), House of Commons
• 1992–1993: Trainee, European Commission (External Affairs Directorate)
• 1993–1996: Account Executive, various European Union public affairs consultancies
• 1996–2002: Associate Director, APCO Worldwide and APCO Europe
• 2002–2005: Special Adviser to Deputy First Minister of Scotland, Jim Wallace MSP (Orkney)
• 2005–2006: Director, Greenhaus Communications
• 2006–2007: Self-employed political consultant
• 2007–present: Member of the Scottish Parliament for Orkney
• 2007–2008: Shadow Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism
• 2008–2011: Scottish Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Environment, Rural Development and Energy
• 2011–2021: Scottish Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Education and Energy
• 2021-Present: Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament

• Official website
• Scottish Parliament profiles of MSPs: Liam McArthur
• Scottish Liberal Democrats page
• BBC profile