Angela Constance

Angela Constance MSP
Official portrait, 2024
Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office 29 March 2023
First Minister	Humza Yousaf John Swinney
Preceded by	Keith Brown
Chairman & Business Convener of the Scottish National Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 18 November 2023
Leader	Humza Yousaf John Swinney
Preceded by	Kirsten Oswald
Minister for Drugs Policy
In office 18 December 2020 – 29 March 2023
First Minister	Nicola Sturgeon
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Elena Whitham
Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities
In office 18 May 2016 – 26 June 2018
First Minister	Nicola Sturgeon
Preceded by	Alex Neil
Succeeded by	Aileen Campbell
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning
In office 21 November 2014 – 18 May 2016
First Minister	Nicola Sturgeon
Preceded by	Michael Russell
Succeeded by	John Swinney
Cabinet Secretary for Training, Youth and Women’s Employment
In office 22 April 2014 – 21 November 2014
First Minister	Alex Salmond
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Roseanna Cunningham
Minister for Youth Employment
In office 7 December 2011 – 22 April 2014
First Minister	Alex Salmond
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Annabelle Ewing
Minister for Children and Young People
In office 20 May 2011 – 7 December 2011
First Minister	Alex Salmond
Preceded by	Adam Ingram
Succeeded by	Aileen Campbell
Minister for Skills and Lifelong Learning
In office 12 December 2010 – 20 May 2011
First Minister	Alex Salmond
Preceded by	Keith Brown
Succeeded by	Alasdair Allan
Member of the Scottish Parliament for Almond Valley Livingston (2007–2011)
Incumbent
Assumed office 3 May 2007
Preceded by	Bristow Muldoon
Majority	8,393
Personal details
Born	(1970-07-15) 15 July 1970 (age 53) Blackburn, West Lothian, Scotland
Political party	Scottish National Party
Spouse	Garry Knox (m. 2000)
Children	1
Alma mater	University of Glasgow University of Stirling
Profession	Social worker

Angela Constance (born 15 July 1970) is a Scottish politician serving as Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs since 2023. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Almond Valley since 2007.

Born in West Lothian, Constance studied at the University of Glasgow and University of Stirling, before working as a social worker in the Lothians. She served as a councillor for West Lothian Council, where she was a spokesperson for children's services and lifelong learning. In the 2007 Scottish Parliament election, Constance was elected as a member of the Scottish Parliament for the Livingston constituency. As an SNP backbencher she served as a member of the Scottish Commission for Public Audit and justice committee.

Constance was appointed to the Scottish Government in 2010 and served under First Minister Alex Salmond as the minister for skills and lifelong learning and the following year she was reshuffled as the minister for children and young people. She later served as the youth employment minister, before the portfolio was expanded and promoted to cabinet-level in 2014 as the Cabinet Secretary for Training, Youth and Women's Employment. Following the resignation of Nicola Sturgeon as depute leader of the SNP when she announced her candidacy for leader, Constance ran unsuccessfully in the 2014 depute leadership contest, losing to Stewart Hosie.

Sturgeon was successful in her bid for leader and was subsequently sworn in as first minister and appointed Constance as education secretary. In a cabinet reshuffle in 2016, she was appointed the equalities secretary and oversaw the introduction of social security powers in Scotland. Constance left government in 2018 to sit as a backbencher. In 2020, Sturgeon appointed her to the new portfolio of drugs policy minister after record high drug deaths in Scotland. On 29 March 2023, newly appointed First Minister Humza Yousaf re-appointed Constance to cabinet as the justice secretary. In November 2023, she became Chairman and Business Convener of the Scottish National Party.