Kenny MacAskill : Ask Biography

Personal data

Date of birth

28 April 1958(age 57)

Place of birth

Edinburgh

Nationality

Scottish

Political party

Scottish National Party

Alma mater

University of Edinburgh

Occupation

Lawyer

Cabinet Secretary for Justice

Assumed office

17 May 2007

First minister

Alex Salmond

Succeeded by

Incumbent

Preceded by

Cathy Jamieson
(as Minister for Justice)

Assumed office

3 May 2007

Majority

1,382 (4.6%) (2007)

Preceded by

Susan Deacon

Home | Office Holder | Kenny MacAskill

Kenneth "Kenny" Wright MacAskill (born 28 April 1958) is the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Edinburgh Eastern, formerly Edinburgh East and Musselburgh since 2007. He was previously a regional MSP for Lothian since 1999, and had been Shadow Justice and Home Affairs Minister.

Born in Edinburgh, MacAskill was educated at Linlithgow Academy and Edinburgh University, and was a senior partner in a law firm. He was a long standing member of the SNP's National Executive Committee and has been National Treasurer and Vice Convener of Policy. In 2004 Kenny wrote a book entitled Building a Nation - Post Devolution Nationalism in Scotland. He has since edited another book Agenda for a New Scotland - Visions of Scotland 2020 and has co-authored two books on the Scottish Diaspora, Global Scots - Voices From Afar and Wherever the Saltire Flies, with the former First Minister Henry McLeish.