Rt Hon Alistair Carmichael

Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs & Brexit, Chief Whip, MP for Orkney & Shetland

Alistair Carmichael is the Deputy Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. He was appointed as Secretary of State for Scotland in October 2013. He has been the MP for Orkney and Shetland since the 2001 general election.

Alistair attended Port Ellen Primary School and Islay High School. He gained an LLB in 1992 at the University of Aberdeen, a diploma in Legal Practice in 1993 and qualified as a solicitor and Notary Public in 1995.

Alistair was elected to represent Orkney and Shetland in the 2001 general election. He was appointed Liberal Democrat Northern Ireland and Scotland Spokesman in July 2007. He was reappointed to the position by Nick Clegg in October 2008. He had also briefly served as the Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesman. At the beginning of the Liberal Democrat-Conservative coalition government, Alistair was appointed Deputy Chief Whip and Comptroller of HM Household before being appointed as Secretary of State for Scotland.

Alistair worked as a hotel manager from 1984 to 1989. From 1993-96, he was a Procurator Fiscal Depute working at Crown Office in Edinburgh and in the Procurator Fiscal’s Office in Aberdeen. From 1996-2001 he was a solicitor in a Private Practice working in Aberdeenshire.