Meeting of the Parliament 03 February 2026 [Draft]
I start by saying how phenomenal the speeches have been. It is a genuine privilege to speak about the great man that was Jim Wallace. We are all deeply saddened by his passing.
First and foremost, our thoughts are with his amazing wife, Rosie, his two daughters, Helen and Clare, and his brother, Neil. I know that they will feel his passing most deeply. I know how huge a part of their life he was, but they should be so proud of the man he was, what he dedicated his life to and what he achieved.
I also offer condolences to our friends in the Liberal Democrats. I know that they will feel his loss sharply, but he was honestly loved and respected right across the political spectrum, as they will have heard today.
When putting together my comments today, I was thinking about the words I would use to describe Jim Wallace—kindness, decency, wisdom, principle and dedication.
Kindness, because every single time you met him, he met you with warmth and enthusiastic encouragement, regardless of what politics you had.
Decency, because he believed in bringing people together. He did his politics through gentle persuasion, rather than through some of the more cut-and-thrust methods of modern political times.
Wisdom, because he could see ahead, and I know how significant a role he played in persuading Labour politicians about devolution and this Parliament, or indeed Scottish National Party politicians about devolution and this Parliament.
Principle, because he was such a proud believer in devolution and the Scottish Parliament, and he shares in all the successes that this Parliament has had. I know that there have been Labour First Ministers but they could not have done their job if they did not have a man of the stature of Jim Wallace alongside them.
Dedication, because he was dedicated to his family, to liberty, to public service, to faith, to Scotland and, of course, to Rangers, which was a deep passion of his.
In all the roles that he had, he was a unifier, whether as a member of Parliament, a member of the Scottish Parliament, Deputy First Minister, Advocate General or Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. He believed in bringing together people of all faiths and all political persuasions to make progress as a country.
I end with some words that Jim Wallace said when he was moderator:
“Today we must be ready to go out from our buildings, and get alongside people … ‘in our towns and cities, in homes, around tables, in the fields at work’”—
all in the good cause, to spread hope and humanity.
Jim Wallace leaves our politics poorer. He leaves our social circles poorer. He leaves Scotland poorer without him. He also leaves us with an example to follow—a life dedicated to public service, to ideals and to the great people of Scotland.
To Rosie and all his family, we send our deepest condolences. We were all so lucky to know him and to have him.