In Westminster

Danny Alexander MP

Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey

45 Huntly Street, Inverness IV3 5HR

Phone: 01463 711280

Fax: 01463 714960

Website: www.dannyalexander.org.uk

Email: danny@highlandlibdems.org.uk

Danny Alexander entered Parliament at his first attempt in 2005, gaining this new seat from Labour on a notional swing of 6%.

After attending Fort William's Lochaber High School, Danny Alexander read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford. For eight years he was Director of Communications at the European Movement and its successor the Britain in Europe campaign, until in 2004 he became the Head of Communications for the newly created Cairngorms National Park. His interests are: hill-walking, fishing, travel and sports of all kinds.

He was a press officer for the Scottish Liberal Democrats during 1993 and 1994. As an MP has supported the Highland Liberal Democrats' campaigns to defend local Post Office branches and the Post Office Card Account; and for the £200 Council Tax refund to be given to all pensioners (i.e. including women pensioners aged 60 - 64).

Danny Alexander joined the shadow Work and Pensions team in 2005, becoming spokesperson for disability-related issues and also sitting on the Scottish Affairs Committee. He was appointed Shadow Minister for Social Exclusion in January 2007. In July 2007 he was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, holding the post until June 2008, when he gave it up to concentrate on his role as chief of staff to the party leader, Nick Clegg, as well as his responsibility for leading preparation of the party's manifesto.

Education:

Lochaber High School, Fort William; Oxford University - Hons degree in PPE

Experience:

Press Officer, Scottish Liberal Democrats 1993-95, Director of Communications, European Movement 1996-99, Head of Communications, Britain in Europe 1999-2004, Head of Communications, Cairngorms National Park 2004-2005.

Parliamentary experience:

2008 to present - chief of staff to Nick Clegg; 2007 to 2008 - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions; 2007 to 2008 - Shadow Minister for Social Exclusion; 2005 to 2007 - shadow minister, Work & Pensions, and spokesperson for disability-related issues

Charles Kennedy MP

Ross, Skye & Lochaber

5 MacGregor's Court, Dingwall IV15 9HS

Phone: 01349 862152

Fax: 01349 866829

Website: www.charleskennedy.org.uk

Email: charles.kennedy@highlandlibdems.org.uk

Charles Kennedy is the former Leader of the Liberal Democrats who, at the 2005 General Election achieved the best result the party and its predecessors had enjoyed since 1923, winning 62 seats.

Charles has been an MP in the Highlands since 1983 and was leader of the Liberal Democrats from August 1999 until January 2006.

Born in Inverness in 1959, he was brought up and educated in Fort William, attending Lochaber High School and then Glasgow University, where he was elected President of Glasgow University Union and won the British Observer Mace Debating Tournament in 1982. Following his graduation that year, Charles worked as a journalist and broadcaster with BBC Highland in Inverness. He was then awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to attend Indiana University in the United States.

In 1983 he was working towards a PhD at Indiana when the opportunity arose to seek the Social Democratic Party (SDP) nomination for Ross, Cromarty and Skye. Charles made a flying visit home, won the selection ballot and returned full time to the UK in April. The General Election followed and less than six weeks after being chosen as candidate Charles was elected to the House of Commons, defeating the sitting government minister to become the youngest MP of the time.

During his term in Parliament Charles has been spokesperson on issues ranging from the welfare state to Europe, agriculture and rural affairs. He served on the All-Party Select Committee that introduced the televising of business in the chamber. He was also the first SDP MP to back the merger with the Liberals after the 1987 general election, and moved a successful motion to bring this about at the SDP conference that year.

In the new party of Liberal Democrats resulting from the merger, Charles was elected UK Party President, the equivalent of party chairman, in 1990, and served in that post until 1994. In August 1999 he was elected as the Leader of the Liberal Democrats in succession to Paddy Ashdown, and he was appointed to the Privy Council in October 1999.

In 2002, Charles Kennedy married Sarah Gurling and their first child - Donald James Kennedy - was born on April 12 2005 at the start of that year's General Election campaign. At the election on May 5 2005, Charles won the newly formed constitency of Ross, Skye & Lochaber with 58.7% of the vote and a majority of 14,249. He thus became MP for Lochaber - his home area - for the first time in his career while leading the Liberal Democrats to their best national result since 1923.

In early 2006, Charles resigned the leadership of the Liberal Democrats.

Since stepping down as UK party leader - in addition to his constituency, parliamentary and party commitments - Charles has been elected as a Vice-President of Liberal International and has been a Visiting Parliamentary Fellow at St. Antony's College, Oxford (where he has been exploring the role of ethnic and religious minorities in liberal democracies). He was elected as President of the European Movement in November 2007, and in April 2008 was elected as Rector of Glasgow University until 2011. He is also a regular national writer, broadcaster and speaker.

To read more about Charles Kennedy's background and beliefs, see the preface to the paperback edition of Charles Kennedy's book The Future of Politics .

Education:

Lochaber High School, Fort William; Glasgow University - MA (Hons) Politics, Philosophy & English 1982; Indiana University, USA - Speech Communication, Political Rhetoric & British Politics 1982-3

Experience:

Journalist & Broadcaster with BBC Highland, Inverness 1982

Parliamentary experience:

Elected Member of Parliament 1983; Appointed Privy Councillor 1999

John Thurso MP

Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross

House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA

Phone: 020 7219 1752

Website: www.johnthurso.org

Email: john.thurso@highlandlibdems.org.uk

John Thurso entered Parliament at his first attempt in 2001, holding this seat for the Liberal Democrats

John Thurso was educated at Eton and Westminster Technical College; he joined the Savoy Group as a management trainee in 1972. He has had a distinguished career in the hospitality industry, managing the Lancaster in Paris [1981-85] and founding Cliveden [1985-92] before becoming CEO of Granfel Holdings, owners of East Sussex National Golf Course [1992-95]. From 1995 until his election to Parliament he was CEO of the Champneys group. John retains his links with the industry through his Presidency of the Tourism Society and the Academy of Food and Wine Service. He is a Fellow and former Patron of the HCIMA. His other roles in public life include: Chair of Thurso Fisheries and of Lochdu Hotels; President of the Tourism Society, and Patron of the Institute of Management Services and of the Keepers of the Quaich.

Coming from an old Liberal family (his grandfather was Sir Archibald Sinclair, party leader 1935-45 and Air Minister in the wartime coalition), John has always had a keen interest in politics. In 1995 he took his seat in the House of Lords where he was spokesman on Tourism and later Food. He was a Highland list candidate in 1999. John spoke many times in the House of Lords in favour of Lords reform and following the 1999 Act, chose not to try and stay. He is the first and only hereditary peer to have been elected to the Commons having previously sat in the Lords.

As an MP his work on local issues includes: campaigning for the development of renewable energy in the Highlands and for local Post Offices.

He was Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland [2001-06] and took on the additional role of Shadow Secretary of State for Transport [2003-05]; he was a member of the Culture, Media and Sport select committee [2001-05]. He is currently a member of the Administration Committee and the Speaker's Advisory Committee on Works of Art.

Education:

School in Thurso, then Eton College

Parliamentary experience:

2005-07 Shadow secretary for Scotland.