Macpherson, Ben

• Tertiary Education and Training (Funding and Governance) (Scotland) Bill Motion
  S6M-20484 · 20 Jan 2026
• Scotland's Skills System Motion
  S6M-19756.2 · 19 Nov 2025
• Tertiary Education and Training (Funding and Governance) (Scotland) Bill Motion
  S6M-19027 · 25 Sep 2025
• To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is tak… Question
  S6O-04979 · 25 Sep 2025
• SPCB Supported Bodies Landscape Review Committee Debate: SPCB Supported Bodies Landscape … Motion
  S6M-18936 · 18 Sep 2025
• To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what actions have bee… Question
  S6W-40544 · 17 Sep 2025
• To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what consideration it… Question
  S6W-40174 · 11 Sep 2025
• Leith Academy Achieves LGBT Charter Gold Award Motion
  S6M-18579 · 22 Aug 2025

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

• A People’s ScotRail
  03 Feb 2022 · they voted No, party voted Yes

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

Of the 12 motions that went to a vote, 91.7% were carried.

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

• Cunningham, Roseanna SNP 100.0% 711 shared
• Russell, Michael SNP 100.0% 647 shared
• Mackay, Derek Ind 100.0% 511 shared
• Campbell, Aileen SNP 100.0% 735 shared
• Ross, Gail SNP 100.0% 737 shared
• Freeman, Jeane SNP 100.0% 677 shared

MSPs they vote against most often.

• Thomson, Ross Con 18.4% 218 shared
• Johnstone, Alex Con 18.5% 65 shared
• Kerr, Stephen Con 18.6% 1,043 shared
• White, Tess Con 18.8% 1,024 shared
• Findlay, Russell Con 19.1% 989 shared
• Hoy, Craig Con 19.1% 1,082 shared

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

• McKee, Ivan SNP 66.3
  vote 100 · co-sponsor 41 · topic 25
• Gilruth, Jenny SNP 64.9
  vote 100 · co-sponsor 35 · topic 25
• Arthur, Tom SNP 64.7
  vote 100 · co-sponsor 39 · topic 20
• Martin, Gillian SNP 63.9
  vote 100 · co-sponsor 34 · topic 22
• MacGregor, Fulton SNP 63.8
  vote 100 · co-sponsor 36 · topic 20
• Kidd, Bill SNP 63.7
  vote 100 · co-sponsor 35 · topic 20
• Torrance, David SNP 63.5
  vote 100 · co-sponsor 37 · topic 18
• Lyle, Richard SNP 63.4
  vote 100 · co-sponsor 31 · topic 22

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

Rebellion rate (vs party majority) per session.

• Torrance, David SNP 292×
• Kidd, Bill SNP 274×
• MacGregor, Fulton SNP 256×
• McMillan, Stuart SNP 240×
• Balfour, Jeremy Ind 230×
• Lyle, Richard SNP 230×
• Arthur, Tom SNP 226×
• McKee, Ivan SNP 222×
• Gilruth, Jenny SNP 214×
• Haughey, Clare SNP 214×

• Ross, Gail SNP 328×
• Adamson, Clare SNP 262×
• Gilruth, Jenny SNP 214×
• Dey, Graeme SNP 200×
• Torrance, David SNP 200×
• White, Sandra SNP 196×
• McKelvie, Christina SNP 194×
• Martin, Gillian SNP 184×
• McMillan, Stuart SNP 176×
• Harper, Emma SNP 166×

• General Question Time Chamber
  18 Dec 2025
  I would be happy to engage with Alex Rowley and take up that correspondence, if he can facilitate that. I had a good meeting with SRUC in recent weeks. I am a…
• General Question Time Chamber
  18 Dec 2025
  SRUC’s Elmwood campus continues to play an important role in delivering further and higher education in Cupar. Although SRUC is an autonomous institution with …
• Cross-portfolio Session Committee
  17 Dec 2025
  I endorse everything that the cabinet secretary just said. We need to consider the issue collectively and in the broader context. The ambition is fair access f…
• Cross-portfolio Session Committee
  17 Dec 2025
  On our engagement with universities and the Parliament, Mr Briggs will recall Martin Whitfield’s topical question about the University of Edinburgh that I answ…
• Cross-portfolio Session Committee
  17 Dec 2025
  I caution Mr Briggs and the committee more widely against getting ahead of the announcement that the Government will make very soon on the sustainability work.…

Government

• Minister for Higher and Further Education · 23 Sep 2025 — Unknown
• Minister for Social Security and Local Government · 19 May 2021 — 29 Mar 2023
• Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment · 21 Dec 2020 — 19 May 2021
• Minister for Public Finance and Migration · 17 Feb 2020 — 21 Dec 2020
• Minister for Europe, Migration and International Development · 28 Jun 2018 — 17 Feb 2020
• Parliamentary Liaison Officer to the Office of the First Minister · 14 Jun 2016 — 28 Jun 2018

Committee

• SPCB Supported Bodies Landscape Review Committee Convener · left 23 Sep 2025
• SPCB Supported Bodies Landscape Review Committee Member · left 12 Dec 2024
• Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee Substitute Member · left 25 Sep 2025
• Criminal Justice Committee Member · left 22 Sep 2025
• Education, Children and Young People Committee Member · left 17 Jun 2024
• Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee Deputy Convener · left 11 Sep 2024
• Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee Member · left 05 Sep 2023
• Education, Children and Young People Committee Deputy Convener · left 05 Sep 2023

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.

116 total · showing most recent.

• Gifts · 24 May 2021
  On 8 August 2025 myself and a guest (a founder of a local charity) attended the Oasis concert at Murrayfield as hospitality guests of Scottish Gas (owned by Centrica plc, an energy company registered…
• Gifts · 24 May 2021
  On 4 February 2017 myself and a guest attended the Scotland v Ireland match at Murrayfield as hospitality guests of BT Scotland (a telecommunications company of BT Group plc, BT Centre, 81 Newgate St…
• Gifts · 24 May 2021
  On 4 February 2017 myself and a guest attended the Scotland v Ireland match at Murrayfield as hospitality guests of BT Scotland (a telecommunications company of BT Group plc, BT Centre, 81 Newgate St…
• Gifts · 24 May 2021
  On 4 February 2017 myself and a guest attended the Scotland v Ireland match at Murrayfield as hospitality guests of BT Scotland (a telecommunications company of BT Group plc, BT Centre, 81 Newgate St…
• Gifts · 24 May 2021
  On 4 February 2017 myself and a guest attended the Scotland v Ireland match at Murrayfield as hospitality guests of BT Scotland (a telecommunications company of BT Group plc, BT Centre, 81 Newgate St…
• Gifts · 24 May 2021
  On 4 February 2017 myself and a guest attended the Scotland v Ireland match at Murrayfield as hospitality guests of BT Scotland (a telecommunications company of BT Group plc, BT Centre, 81 Newgate St…
• Overseas visits · 24 May 2021
  From 3 to 25 February 2024 I visited the United States of America as a participant in the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program. I participated in this particular three …
• Overseas visits · 24 May 2021
  From 3 to 25 February 2024 I visited the United States of America as a participant in the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program. I participated in this particular three …

Party

• Scottish National Party · 07 May 2026 — Unknown
• Scottish National Party · 06 May 2021 — 08 Apr 2026
• Scottish National Party · 05 May 2016 — 04 May 2021

Seats

• Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith · 07 May 2026 — Unknown
• Edinburgh Northern and Leith · 06 May 2021 — 08 Apr 2026 (Dissolution)
• Edinburgh Northern and Leith · 05 May 2016 — 04 May 2021 (Dissolution)