Johann Lamont

Johann Lamont
Lamont in 2022
Leader of the Opposition in Scotland
In office 17 December 2011 – 24 October 2014
Monarch	Elizabeth II
First Minister	Alex Salmond
Preceded by	Iain Gray
Succeeded by	Jackie Baillie
Leader of the Scottish Labour Party
In office 17 December 2011 – 24 October 2014
Deputy	Anas Sarwar
UK party leader	Ed Miliband
Preceded by	Iain Gray
Succeeded by	Jim Murphy
Further offices 1999‍–‍2016 Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow (1 of 7 Regional MSPs) In office 5 May 2016 – 5 May 2021 Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party In office 13 September 2008 – 17 December 2011 Leader Iain Gray Preceded by Cathy Jamieson Succeeded by Anas Sarwar Deputy Minister for Justice In office 16 November 2006 – 17 May 2007 First Minister Jack McConnell Preceded by Hugh Henry Succeeded by Fergus Ewing Deputy Minister for Communities In office 6 October 2004 – 16 November 2006 First Minister Jack McConnell Preceded by Mary Mulligan Succeeded by Des McNulty Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow Pollok In office 6 May 1999 – 5 May 2016 Preceded by Constituency established Succeeded by Humza Yousaf
Personal details
Born	Johann MacDougall Lamont (1957-07-11) 11 July 1957 (age 67) Glasgow, Scotland
Political party	Scottish Labour Co-operative
Spouse	Archie Graham
Children	2
Education	Woodside Secondary School
Alma mater	University of Glasgow Jordanhill College
Profession	Teacher, Politician

Johann MacDougall Lamont (/ˈdʒoʊæn læmʌnt/; born 11 July 1957) is a Scottish Labour Co-operative politician who served as Leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 2011 to 2014. She was previously a junior Scottish Executive minister from 2004 to 2007 and Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 2008 until her election to the leadership in 2011. In addition to her ministerial and leadership roles, she has been a campaigner on equality issues and violence against women throughout her political career.

Born in Glasgow, Lamont attended Woodside Secondary School and obtained a degree from the University of Glasgow. After studying for teaching qualifications at Jordanhill College, she became a schoolteacher. Active in the Labour Party since she was at university, Lamont served on its Scottish Executive Committee, and chaired it in 1993. With the establishment of a devolved legislature in Scotland, she was elected as the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow Pollok in 1999. Having been appointed convener of the Scottish Parliament's Social Justice Committee in 2001, she obtained her first ministerial role in a Labour–Liberal Democrat coalition in October 2004 and served until its defeat by the Scottish National Party (SNP) in 2007.

Lamont stood for the Scottish Labour leadership following the resignation of Iain Gray in the wake of the party's defeat at the 2011 Scottish Parliament election; its second consecutive defeat. Following a review of how the Labour Party in Scotland would be structured, she became its first overall leader. She stated Labour lost the 2011 election because it had lost direction, and initiated a review of Scottish Labour policy on issues like devolution and the party's commitment to free universal public services. Following the SNP Government's announcement of a referendum on Scottish independence, she was a key figure in the Better Together campaign; a cross-party movement that sought to keep Scotland part of the United Kingdom. She resigned as Scottish Labour leader in October 2014, making the announcement in a Daily Record interview in which she claimed that senior figures within the UK Labour Party had undermined her attempts to reform the Scottish party, and treated it "like a branch office of London". Following a leadership election to replace her, she was succeeded in December 2014 by former Secretary of State for Scotland Jim Murphy.

Lamont's work as Scottish Labour leader won her accolades at the Scottish Politician of the Year Awards, for Political Impact of the Year in 2012 and Debater of the Year in 2013. In parliamentary debates, she was perceived by commentators such as The Scotsman's Andrew Whitaker as being an effective opponent to First Minister Alex Salmond, but others, including Richard Seymour of The Guardian, criticised her for clumsiness during television interviews.