Colin Smyth


Colin Smyth is a Scottish Labour Party politician who has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament for the South Scotland region since the 2016 Scottish Parliament election. He was general secretary of the Scottish Labour Party from 2008 until 2012.

Political career

Smyth previously worked as a teacher, becoming a Labour party organiser in 2003. In 2008 he was appointed general secretary of the Scottish Labour Party, succeeding Lesley Quinn. In September 2012, Scottish Labour announced that Smyth would step down from the position at the party's conference in the following month.
In 2007, Smyth was elected to Dumfries and Galloway Council, representing the Nith Ward. He was re-elected to this position in 2012. In October 2013, a Labour/SNP coalition was formed on Dumfries and Galloway Council when Smyth was appointed Chair of the Planning, Housing and Environment Committee.
In 2016, Smyth was elected to the Scottish Parliament representing the South Scotland region. He is currently Scottish Labour's Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity.