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| Premiership of Henry McLeish 26 October 2000 – 8 November 2001 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
|---|---|
| Cabinet | McLeish government |
| Party | Labour Party in Scotland |
| Seat | Bute House |
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Henry McLeish's term as first minister of Scotland began on 26 October 2000 when he was formally sworn into office at the Court of Session. It followed the death of Donald Dewar. McLeish served as the second First Minister, and his premiership is the shortest of any officeholder. His term was dominated by his financial scandal, known as Officegate. The scandal resulted in McLeish's resignation on 8 November 2001.
McLeish entered office amid the mourning of his predecessor's death. As First Minister, he oversaw the introduction of free personal care for the elderly and initiated the Scottish Executive's response to the September 11 attacks in New York City.[1] He also implemented the McCrone Agreement for teachers in Scotland.[2] McLeish managed several task forces designed to improve the competitiveness of Scottish industry, especially the PILOT project for Scottish oil and gas supply chains.[3]
In his final months in office, McLeish was in a scandal involving allegations he sub-let part of his tax-subsidised Westminster constituency office without it having been registered in the register of interests kept in the Parliamentary office. Though McLeish could not have personally benefited financially from the oversight, he undertook to repay the £36,000 rental income. He resigned on 8 November 2001, having served only 1 year, 12 days.[4]
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First Minister of Scotland .svg) |
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- ^ "Who have been Scotland's first ministers?". BBC News. 16 May 2016. Archived from the original on 20 May 2016.
- ^ "Henry McLeish's statement in full". 5 September 2002. Archived from the original on 14 September 2016 – via The Guardian.
- ^ Dewar's successor to seek more power for parliament Archived 21 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine, The Guardian, 23 October 2000.
- ^ "Scottish first minister resigns". the Guardian. 8 November 2001. Retrieved 13 May 2022.