Quick Facts
Biography
James Anthony Kelly (born 23 October 1963) is a Scottish Labour and Co-operative Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow and has been Labour's Finance Spokesperson since 2017.
Kelly has been a regional MSP since 2016, having previously been the MSP for Glasgow Rutherglen (2007-2011), renamed Rutherglen (2011-2016).
Richard Leonard named Kelly as his Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance in 2017. Prior to this he held the position of Labour's Parliamentary Business Manager and was the party's campaign manager for the 2016 and 2017 elections.
Personal life
Kelly grew up in the Halfway area of Cambuslang, and was educated at Trinity High School and Glasgow College of Technology (now Glasgow Caledonian University). He currently lives in Cambuslang with his wife, Alexa, and their two daughters.
Kelly has a background in computing and finance, is a chartered accountant, and worked as a business analyst in East Kilbride prior to his election in 2007. He has spoken about his interests in sport, namely football, tennis and running.
He served as the election agent for the former Rutherglen and Hamilton West MP Tommy McAvoy at the 1997, 2001, and 2005 general elections. He was also Chair of the Rutherglen and Hamilton West Constituency Labour Party.
Political career
Rutherglen constituency
Kelly stood was elected as MSP for Rutherglen in the 2007 and 2011 Holyrood elections, and as a list MSP for the Glasgow Region in 2016.
While Kelly lost his Holyrood constituency seat to the SNP's Clare Haughey in 2016, the incumbent MSP'smajority of 3743 made it a target seat for Labour in the future. The equivalent Westminster seat Rutherglen and Hamilton West was won back by Labour's Gerard Killen in the 2017 UK general election, despite being one of the biggest swings towards the SNP two years prior.
In Holyrood
Upon entering the Scottish Parliament in 2007, Kelly served on the Finance Committee and as a Labour Whip.
He serves as the Convener of the Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Co-operatives and was the deputy Convener of the Cross-Party Group on Sport. From 2008-11, he was a member of the Justice Committee and Shadow Minister for Community Safety.
Following the election of Johann Lamont as Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, Kelly was appointed Chief Whip in Holyrood. He was subsequently made Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities Strategies in a reshuffle in June 2013.
After the election of Jim Murphy as Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, Kelly was appointed to succeed Paul Martin as Labour's Parliamentary Business Manager.
Under Kezia Dugdale's leadership he remained Business Manager and in December 2014 was named as the party's election coordinator for the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.
In December 2015, Kelly was ejected from the parliamentary debating chamber by presiding officer Tricia Marwick when he refused to sit down after attempting to make a point of order during a trade union bill debate.
When Kezia Dugdale resigned as Scottish Labour leader in December 2017, Kelly's name was touted as a potential successor.
In December 2017, Richard Leonard appointed Kelly as his Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution.
Repeal of the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act
Following his re-election to the Scottish Parliament in May 2016, Kelly took forward his pledge to lead a member's bill to repeal the Offensive Behaviour at Football 2012 Act.
Kelly has described the 2012 legislation as having "completely failed to tackle sectarianism" and as "illiberal" which "unfairly targets football fans", "condemned by legal experts, human rights organisations and equality groups".
On 25 January 2018, MSPs voted by 65 to 61 in favour of the general principles of Kelly's Bill in the first stage of Holyrood's legislative process. It marked the first binding defeat in Parliament for the SNP Minority Government. On 15 March, the vote to repeal the Act was passed with 62 in favour and 60 against.