Gillian Mackay

Did You Know?

• Her father was from Brora in Sutherland, Scotland.
• Her mother died in December 2020.

Political career

Mackay got her start in politics through a Scottish Greens internship at Holyrood, which she secured via a scheme aimed at helping disabled people enter political life. From there, she moved into a role as Regional Campaign Support Officer for Lothian. Before winning a seat in the Scottish Parliament, she ran unsuccessfully for the Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency in the 2019 UK general election, and also stood in the 2017 City of Edinburgh Council election and the 2019 European Parliament election. She now serves as the Scottish Greens’ health and social care spokesperson and sits on the party’s Parliamentary Bureau. On 18 May 2023, she lodged the draft proposal for her Members Bill, the Abortion Services Safe Access Zones (Scotland), with the final proposal following on 15 June 2023. The consultation drew 11,827 personal responses and 52 from organisations. The Bill passed the Scottish Parliament by a vote of 118 to 1 and became law on 22 July 2024. In July 2025, Mackay announced she would run for co-leader of the Scottish Greens, a position she went on to win. She was a candidate in the Central Scotland and Lothians West electoral region in the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.