Holyrood, made browsable

Boyack, Sarah

Everything we have on one MSP — voting record, motions, questions, committee work, allowances, Hansard contributions, registered interests and career history — pulled together on a single page.

Boyack, Sarah
MSP profile

Boyack, Sarah

Former (left at end of session) Scottish Labour Lothian

Politically, you're most like Baillie, Jackie Lab — similarity 83.0/100.

Compare with… Speeches Motions & Q+A
Divisions voted in
2,089
last on 24 Mar 2026
Party alignment
99.6%
0.4% rebellion
Attendance
91.5%
195 "Not Voted" of 2,284 divisions present
Motions lodged
460
2,373 questions · 2 unanswered
Hansard contributions
10,319
3,531 chamber · 6,788 committee
Allowances claimed
£124,746
449 transactions
Most-discussed topics in Hansard
bill ·249 stage ·227 sustainable ·100 development ·90 wellbeing ·89 ecocide ·71 climate ·57 change ·55 plan ·50 legislation ·49 draft ·49 subordinate ·47
Recent motions & questions
Recent rebellions

Divisions where they voted against their party's majority position.

Motion success

Of the motions they've lodged that went to a vote, how often did the chamber agree.

Lodged
460
Carried
8
Defeated
26
Not divided
426

Of the 34 motions that went to a vote, 23.5% were carried.

Closest voting allies

MSPs who voted the same way most often across shared divisions.

Furthest apart on votes

MSPs they vote against most often.

MSPs like this one

Composite of voting agreement, sponsorship overlap, and Hansard topic affinity. Weighted 50 / 25 / 25.

Voice fingerprint

Words and phrases this MSP uses far more often than the chamber average (TF-IDF over their Hansard contributions).

national park environment rural national parks rural development crofting park plan transport fund water authorities executive's water industry park authority happy recommendation
Voting drift across sessions

Rebellion rate (vs party majority) per session.

0.7%
S4 · Lab
0.0%
S5 · Lab
0.4%
S6 · Lab
Career arc

Unified timeline: party joinings, seat changes, committee appointments, ministerial roles.

  1. ☷
    Left Economy and Fair Work Committee
    08 Apr 2026
  2. ☷
    Left Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee
    08 Apr 2026
  3. ☷
    Left Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
    08 Apr 2026
  4. ⌂
    Stood down from Lothian (Dissolution)
    08 Apr 2026
  5. –
    Left Scottish Labour
    08 Apr 2026
  6. ☷
    Left Social Justice and Social Security Committee
    10 Dec 2025
  7. ☷
    Joined Social Justice and Social Security Committee as Member
    10 Dec 2025
  8. ☷
    Joined Economy and Fair Work Committee as Member
    30 Sep 2025
  9. ☷
    Joined Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee as Substitute Member
    25 Apr 2023
  10. ☷
    Joined Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee as Substitute Member
    25 Apr 2023
  11. ☷
    Left Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
    25 Apr 2023
  12. ☷
    Left Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee
    25 Apr 2023
  13. ☷
    Joined Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee as Substitute Member
    22 Sep 2021
  14. ☷
    Joined Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee as Member
    17 Jun 2021
  15. ⌂
    Started representing Lothian
    06 May 2021
  16. +
    Joined Scottish Labour
    06 May 2021
  17. ☷
    Left Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee
    04 May 2021
  18. ☷
    Left Local Government and Communities Committee
    04 May 2021
  19. ⌂
    Stood down from Lothian (Dissolution)
    04 May 2021
  20. –
    Left Scottish Labour
    04 May 2021
  21. ☷
    Left Finance and Constitution Committee
    25 Feb 2020
  22. ☷
    Joined Finance and Constitution Committee as Substitute Member
    05 Feb 2020
  23. ☷
    Joined Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee as Substitute Member
    25 Sep 2019
  24. ☷
    Joined Local Government and Communities Committee as Deputy Convener
    11 Sep 2019
  25. ☷
    Left Local Government and Communities Committee
    11 Sep 2019
  26. ☷
    Joined Local Government and Communities Committee as Member
    10 Sep 2019
  27. ⌂
    Started representing Lothian
    17 Jul 2019
  28. +
    Joined Scottish Labour
    17 Jul 2019
  29. ☷
    Left Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee
    23 Mar 2016
  30. ⌂
    Stood down from Lothian (Dissolution)
    23 Mar 2016
  31. –
    Left Scottish Labour
    23 Mar 2016
  32. ☷
    Joined Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee as Member
    08 Jan 2015
  33. ☷
    Left Local Government and Regeneration Committee
    08 Jan 2015
  34. ☷
    Joined Local Government and Regeneration Committee as Substitute Member
    03 Sep 2013
  35. ⌂
    Started representing Lothian
    05 May 2011
  36. +
    Joined Scottish Labour
    05 May 2011
  37. ⌂
    Stood down from Edinburgh Central (Dissolution)
    22 Mar 2011
  38. –
    Left Scottish Labour
    22 Mar 2011
  39. ☷
    Left Rural Affairs and Environment Committee
    20 Sep 2007
  40. ☷
    Joined Rural Affairs and Environment Committee as Member
    13 Jun 2007

32 earlier events not shown.

Who backs their motions most
Whose motions they back most
Recent contributions to the Official Report
  • Visitor Levy (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill Chamber
    24 Mar 2026
    I hope that it is okay that I borrow a minute from my colleague.In the run-up to the 2016 election, I worked on a member’s bill to introduce a transient visito…
  • Visitor Levy (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill Chamber
    24 Mar 2026
    The key issue, though, is that it is up to every local authority to decide whether or not they want to use the legislation, and they have to go through thoroug…
  • Climate Change Plan Chamber
    24 Mar 2026
    I, too, thank the cabinet secretary for advance notice of her statement, and I thank all the stakeholders who gave their views on how the draft climate change …
  • Portfolio Question Time Chamber
    19 Mar 2026
    Stop Climate Chaos Scotland has warned that, although the draft climate change plan outlines a range of policies that are aimed at increasing energy generation…
  • Portfolio Question Time Chamber
    19 Mar 2026
    To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the regulatory framework currently in place to monitor the development and operation of data cent…
Committee & government roles

Government

Committee

Allowance — vs. party average (2025)

Per-category claim total for this MSP compared to the average per-MSP total inside their party for the same year. Positive = above party average.

Category MSP Party avg Difference
Office costs £7,257 £5,576 +£1,681
MSP & staff travel £421 £1,324 −£902
Engagement costs £73 £9,427 −£9,354
Registered interests

104 total · showing most recent.

  • Overseas visits · 08 Jun 2021
    From 16 to 18 October 2024, I visited Stuttgart, Germany to meet with representatives of the energy company, EnBW (Energie Baden-Württemberg AG, Durlacher Allee 93, 76131, Karlsruhe). The purpose of …
  • Voluntary · 08 Jun 2021
    On 9 August 2024 I attended the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo as a guest of Jason Barrett, CEO of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo (1-3 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1QB). The cost of the tick…
  • Voluntary · 08 Jun 2021
    On 9 August 2024 I attended the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo as a guest of Jason Barrett, CEO of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo (1-3 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1QB). The cost of the tick…
  • Voluntary · 08 Jun 2021
    On 5 December 2023 I received a gift of a food hamper valued at approximately £150 from Community Windpower Ltd (Godscroft Lane, Frodsham, Cheshire, WA6 6XU). The gift was to me as an individual. [Re…
  • Voluntary · 08 Jun 2021
    On 5 December 2023 I received a gift of a food hamper valued at approximately £150 from Community Windpower Ltd (Godscroft Lane, Frodsham, Cheshire, WA6 6XU). The gift was to me as an individual. [Re…
  • Voluntary · 08 Jun 2021
    On 5 December 2023 I received a gift of a food hamper valued at approximately £150 from Community Windpower Ltd (Godscroft Lane, Frodsham, Cheshire, WA6 6XU). The gift was to me as an individual. [Re…
  • Remuneration and related undertaking · 08 Jun 2021
    I worked as Head of Public Affairs for the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, Sutherland House, 149 St Vincent St, Glasgow G2 5NW, part time for the first three weeks from February 2017, th…
  • Remuneration and related undertaking · 08 Jun 2021
    I worked as Head of Public Affairs for the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, Sutherland House, 149 St Vincent St, Glasgow G2 5NW, part time for the first three weeks from February 2017, th…
Career timeline

Party

Seats