Glenrothes Gazette and East Fife Mail Column – Published 28 June 2023
The end of term is a momentous time for our children and young people. Some of them will be moving to high school and for others, it will be their last few days in secondary education. With the summer holidays fast approaching, I hope that pupils and their families across Glenrothes are able to enjoy the break, and have some time to prepare for what the future holds for them
I know many of you will have seen the news this week that Peter Grant, the MP for Glenrothes, has chosen to stand down at the next election. I would like to put on record my thanks to Peter for his long years of service to our local community.
Peter was first elected to Fife Council for the Glenrothes and Kinglassie ward for the SNP in 1992 and served as leader of the council between 2007 to 2012. Following this, he was elected as the MP for the Glenrothes Westminster seat in the 2015 General Election, being re-elected as an MP in 2017 and again in 2019.
He joined the SNP in 1987, at a time when the party had only 3 MPs at Westminster. I remember first meeting Peter when I worked for Tricia Marwick, then the town’s MSP, back in 2006. I’ve had the privilege of serving alongside him as the MSP since 2016 and have seen first-hand his commitment to helping our area local in a variety of different ways – I know we both enjoyed Coaltown Primary school’s excellent performance of Matilda last Friday!
Peter’s time in the House of Commons since 2015 has certainly not been quiet, witnessing four Prime Ministers in office, Brexit, a global pandemic and a cost-of-living crisis. Through this turbulence, his constituents had have a loyal, dedicated public servant serving their best interests, and protecting Scotland from a Tory Government we did not vote for.
I hope Peter is able to now find some peace in his well-earned retirement with his wife, Fiona. Glenrothes will have a new MP following the next General Election – whoever wins in that contest will certainly have big shoes to fill.
