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Jamie Stone (politician)

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Jamie Stone
MP
Official portrait, 2024
Member of Parliament
for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
Assumed office
8 June 2017
Preceded byPaul Monaghan
Majority10,489 (22.7%)
Councillor, The Highland Council
for Tain and Easter Ross
In office
3 May 2012 – 20 July 2017
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
In office
6 May 1999 – 5 May 2011
Preceded byNew constituency
Succeeded byRob Gibson
Liberal Democrat portfolios
2017, 2019-2020Scotland
2019-2022Defence
2020-Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Personal details
Born
James Hume Walter Miéville Stone

(1954-06-16) 16 June 1954 (age 70)
Edinburgh, Scotland
Political partyLiberal Democrats
Alma materUniversity of St Andrews
WebsiteOfficial Website

James Hume Walter Miéville Stone (born 16 June 1954) is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross since 2017.[1]

He was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the constituency of Caithness, Sutherland, and Easter Ross. He held the seat from the opening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, until he stood down in 2011.[2] He served as the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Defence from 2019 to 2022 and has served as Spokesperson for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport since September 2020.[3]

Early life and career

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James Stone was born on 16 June 1954 in Edinburgh. He went to school in Tain, before being privately educated at Gordonstoun.[4] While at school his parents founded Highland Fine Cheeses in 1967.[5][6] He studied History and Geology at the University of St Andrews and graduated in 1977. Upon graduation, he worked in a variety of fields including fish gutting, on a building site, teaching English on the Italian island of Sicily and the oil industry.[7][8][9]

Political career

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Councillor

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Stone was first elected to Ross and Cromarty District Council in 1986, serving until its abolition in 1996. He served as a member of the Highland Council from its creation in 1995 until his election as MSP in 1999.[10]

At the 2012 Local Government Elections, he returned to the Highland Council as councillor for the Tain and Easter Ross Ward.[11]

Scottish Parliament

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As an MSP, Stone was the Scottish Liberal Democrat Party spokesperson on Housing and the Deputy Party spokesman on Health.[12] He participated in the UK television programme, University Challenge, as part of the Scottish Parliament's team.[13] He stood down from the Scottish Parliament at the 2011 election.[2]

Stone as a Member of the Scottish Parliament

In 2016, he stood for election at the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross which was largely his former seat after boundary changes were made in 2011. He finished in second place.[14]

Parliamentary career

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Stone was elected as the Member of Parliament for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross at the 2017 general election, winning with 35.8% of the vote and a majority of 2,044 votes.[15][16][17] On 16 June 2017, he was announced as the Liberal Democrat spokesman for Scotland.[18] On 12 October 2017 he was transferred to the role of Armed Forces spokesman in a reshuffle.[19]

Official parliamentary portrait, 2017

Stone had been re-elected for the Tain and Easter Ross Ward at the 2017 Local Government elections a month earlier. He resigned his seat on Highland Council after he was elected as an MP.[20]

Since his election, Stone has raised various local issues in the House of Commons such as the provision of healthcare facilities in the Scottish Highlands.[21] Stone has also sponsored early day motions to investigate allegations of abuse by G4S on behalf of UK Visas and Immigration and has supported the rollout of free, early years childcare.[22]

During the 2019 general election, Stone campaigned with the Liberal Democrats slogan 'Stop Brexit', saying “This General Election is our best chance to elect a government to stop Brexit".[23] He was re-elected as MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter at the 2019 general election with an increased vote share of 37.2% and a decreased majority of 204.[24][25]

At the 2024 general election, Stone was again re-elected, with an increased vote share of 49.4% and an increased majority of 10,489.[26]

Personal life

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Stone is married and has three children, one son and two daughters, both of whom also attended the University of St Andrews. He is also a keen gardener and an expert on edible fungi.[9]

References

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  1. ^ "Jamie Stone MP". UK Parliament.
  2. ^ a b "Lib Dem MSP Jamie Stone to quit Holyrood at election". BBC News. 2 June 2010. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  3. ^ "Jamie Stone - Parliamentary Career". Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Stone, James Hume Walter Miéville". Who's Who. Vol. 2018 (February 2018 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 13 February 2018. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  5. ^ "HIGHLAND FINE CHEESES LIMITED - Overview (free company information from Companies House)". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  6. ^ "Our Story". Highland Fine Cheeses. Archived from the original on 31 July 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  7. ^ Razaq, Lindsay (28 June 2017). "Meet the new MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross". Press and Journal. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  8. ^ "Stone to stand down at next election". 2 June 2010. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  9. ^ a b "Mr Jamie Stone MSP". Caithness.org. Archived from the original on 25 October 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  10. ^ "Jamie Stone". Liberal Democrats. 24 May 2017. Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  11. ^ Ford, Laurence. "Ross shocks in Highland Council results". North Star. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  12. ^ "Scottish Lib Dem front bench". BBC News. 16 September 2008. Archived from the original on 13 May 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  13. ^ "The question is, could we get a team on University Challenge?". Northern Times. 17 July 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2018.[permanent dead link]
  14. ^ "Results Sheet Caithness, Sutherland and Ross Constituency". The Highland Council. Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  15. ^ Butlin, Heather (24 July 2017). "UK Parliamentary General Election". The Highland Council.
  16. ^ "Commons Briefing Paper 7979. General Election 2017: results and analysis" (PDF) (Second ed.). House of Commons Library. 29 January 2019 [7 April 2018]. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2019.
  17. ^ "Jamie Stone wins Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross". John O'Groat Journal. 9 June 2017. Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  18. ^ "Liberal Democrats announce Shadow Cabinet". Liberal Democrats. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  19. ^ "New Liberal Democrat spokespeople". Liberal Democrats. 12 October 2017. Archived from the original on 19 November 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  20. ^ "Tain by-election dates announced". www.north-star-news.co.uk. 10 August 2017. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  21. ^ "Pregnant Women In The Highlands Are Being Forced To Travel Hundreds Of Miles For Medical Care". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  22. ^ "Early day motions by Member for 2017-19 - Stone, Jamie". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  23. ^ "Jamie Stone MP". Jamie Stone MP. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  24. ^ "Commons Briefing Paper 8749. General Election 2019: results and analysis" (PDF) (Second ed.). House of Commons Library. 28 January 2020 [7 April 2018]. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 February 2024.
  25. ^ "Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross Parliamentary constituency". BBC. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  26. ^ "Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jamie Stone.
Scottish Parliament
New constituency Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
1999–2011 		constituency abolished
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
2017–present 		Incumbent
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