Scottish govenrment minister Christina McKelvie dies aged 57 | UK News

Scottish government minister Christina McKelvie has died aged 57, the SNP has announced.

McKelvie, the drugs and alcohol policy minister, stepped back from her duties last summer after announcing she was undergoing treatment for secondary breast cancer.

She died at Glasgow Royal Infirmary on Thursday morning.

McKelvie’s partner and SNP depute leader Keith Brown said she was a beloved mother to two sons and a partner and grandmother who “lit up every room she was in with her positivity and bright smile”.

McKelvie had been MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse since May 2011, having initially been elected as a Central Scotland representative in 2007.

She recovered from breast cancer in 2021 but was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in June.

A period of silence was held in the Holyrood chamber, while the parliament’s flags have been flown at half mast.

Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone, who led emotional tributes to McKelvie in the chamber, described her as a “dear parliamentary colleague”.

First Minister John Swinney hailed a “generous, kind, loyal and fun-loving colleague”.

He told MSPs: “Members across this parliament will feel that loss, but my party is aching at the news today.

“Christina was a parliamentarian of the highest motivation and the finest nature, I was proud that she was a member of my government, giving her all to make life better for others, which was always her motivation.”

He added: “Today, I express to her partner – my deputy, one of my dearest friends – and to her sons Jack and Lewis, my profound sympathy at their loss and my gratitude for the benefit of having known such a magnificent woman.”

McKelvie was equalities minister between 2008 to 2023. She then served as minister for culture, Europe and international development before moving to the drugs and alcohol brief from 2024.

Originally from Easterhouse in Glasgow, she was a social worker in the city before moving into politics. She was also a long-standing member of the SNP and a trade unionist with Unison.

In a statement, Swinney said McKelvie was “fiercely proud” of her roots and fuelled by the “injustices her family experienced in her childhood”.

Brown said the family was “immensely proud of all Christina achieved”. He cited her support for cancer charities, people with motor neurone disease and domestic abuse victims.

Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon described McKelvie as “kind, loyal, compassionate and full of life”, adding: “She had the biggest heart of anyone I have ever known.”

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay described McKelvie as a “respected colleague and dedicated public servant”.

Labour leader Anas Sarwar paid tribute to a “fierce” politician and friend to many across the chamber.