25 Facts About Willie Rennie

William Cowan Rennie was born on 27 September 1967 and is a Scottish politician who served as the Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats from 2011 to 2021.

Willie Rennie has served as the Member of the Scottish Parliament for North East Fife since 2016, and previously as a list MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife and as Member of Parliament for Dunfermline and West Fife.

Willie Rennie became the MP for Dunfermline and West Fife after a by-election win in February 2006.

Willie Rennie later lost this seat to the Labour Party at the 2010 general election.

Willie Rennie briefly served as a Special Government Adviser for the Liberal Democrat Scottish Secretaries of State Danny Alexander and Michael Moore at the Scotland Office.

Willie Rennie was then elected to the Scottish Parliament in the May 2011 election.

Willie Rennie was elected as an additional member for the Mid Scotland and Fife region.

Willie Rennie was after elected unopposed as leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, replacing Tavish Scott.

At the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, Willie Rennie was elected MSP for the constituency seat of North East Fife.

Willie Rennie was re-elected in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, but resigned as Lib Dem leader two months later and was replaced by Alex Cole-Hamilton.

Willie Rennie was born on 27 September 1967, in Fife, to Peta and Alexander Willie Rennie.

Willie Rennie grew up in Strathmiglo where his family ran the village shop.

Willie Rennie went to Bell Baxter High School in Cupar, Fife, before going to Paisley College of Technology, where he graduated with a BSc in biology.

Willie Rennie was one of the 50 MPs who ran a mile to raise money for Sport Relief finishing close behind the winner, David Davies.

Willie Rennie ran the Scottish Young Liberal Democrats and after graduation went on to work for the English Liberal Democrats in Cornwall.

Willie Rennie then went on to work for the Liberal Democrats' campaigns department, and was the successful agent in the 1993 Christchurch by-election in Dorset.

Willie Rennie was then for a time Special Adviser to the new Liberal Democrat Scottish Secretary Michael Moore MP.

Willie Rennie returned to front-line politics as an MSP when he won a regional list seat for the Liberal Democrats in the Scottish Parliament's Mid Scotland and Fife region at the Holyrood elections on 5 May 2011.

Willie Rennie was the only new Liberal Democrat MSP to win a seat in this election.

Willie Rennie opposes a second independence referendum, favouring a more federal UK.

Willie Rennie was re-elected in North East Fife for the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, with doubled majority.

On 12 July 2021, Willie Rennie announced his resignation as leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, effective from September.

Willie Rennie was replaced by Alex Cole-Hamilton, the MSP for Edinburgh Western.

In September 2011, Willie Rennie announced plans for a commission building on the work of the Lord Steel Commission to develop a blueprint for Home Rule and full fiscal federalism that would map out further devolution of powers after the Scotland Bill 2011 was passed into statute.

Willie Rennie was appointed as an honorary patron of Armed Forces Legal Action in April 2014.