Meeting of the Parliament 25 February 2026 [Draft]
I echo and enthusiastically support the comments of both the First Minister, John Swinney, and Jackson Carlaw. Listening to them made me think that simply thinking of Jeane puts a smile on many of our faces. That is a remarkable way to remember anyone.
Jeane Freeman was a tremendous public servant who dedicated her life to improving other people’s lives across our great country. I put on the record the condolences and best wishes of everyone in the Scottish Labour Party. In particular, I send our love and best wishes to Jeane’s partner, Susan, whom she was absolutely in love with and devoted to, and to all her friends and family. I send love and condolences because she was respected not just by those on the Scottish National Party benches, but by people across the political spectrum and by so many people outwith politics.
Jeane was a formidable public figure. She dedicated her life to public service and to social justice for our great country. She started her career as a student leader and went on to become health secretary during a global pandemic. She worked as a civil servant and as a Government adviser, serving a former Labour First Minister, Jack McConnell, and she was, of course, a member of the Cabinet. In every role, she brought the same work ethic, the same strong opinions and the same tireless determination to make our country better.
Jeane was a formidable human being and public figure. She was ferociously clever and was fired by a strong sense of justice and an enduring commitment to public service. Scottish politics and public life will be poorer without her.
I have already said this twice in the chamber, but I repeat again that I will always be personally thankful to Jeane Freeman for the steps that she took to get us closer to the truth on the Queen Elizabeth university hospital scandal. That goes for me, and I know that it goes for the whistleblowers and the families, who all appreciate the significant progress that was made in their fight for justice because Jeane Freeman was someone who was willing to listen, learn and act. She was willing to challenge institutions and to question her own.
She will of course be especially missed by her colleagues in the Scottish National Party, and my thoughts are with each and every one of them, but she will be sorely missed by people across the Parliament and the political spectrum. To Susan and to Jeane’s family and friends, I say: Jeane was loved, Jeane was respected, Jeane made a difference and Jeane delivered. You should all be so proud of the life that she lived and the legacy that she leaves, and I hope that you take heart from the fact that we all mourn with you.