Cara McKee

Cara McKee is a Scottish politician, poet and librarian who has served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament for West Scotland since May 2026. She is a member of the Scottish Greens.

Personal life McKee grew up in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, England. She moved to Scotland in 2003 and has lived in North Ayrshire, on the west coast of Scotland, where she is a mother of three.

Career

Government research On moving to Scotland, McKee worked as a social researcher for the Scottish Government.

Library work McKee subsequently worked as a village librarian in Skelmorlie, North Ayrshire. Her second pamphlet, Little Gods, was published by Roswell Publishing in autumn 2023. Her poems have appeared in numerous literary publications including Gutter, Brittle Star, Ink, Sweat and Tears, The Interpreter's House, Under the Radar, Flights and Obsessed with Pipework. The seat was won by Labour's Irene Campbell.

2026 Scottish Parliament election In July 2025, the Scottish Greens announced McKee as the second candidate on their West Scotland regional list for the 2026 Scottish Parliament election, behind incumbent MSP and co-leader Ross Greer. During the internal party selection process McKee had challenged Greer for the top list position, standing as part of a grassroots socialist slate of candidates.

McKee's campaign priorities included tackling poverty and low wages, expanding publicly owned bus services, integrated ticketing across public transport, and action on Ardrossan Harbour. It was her first elected office.

Publications

Poetry pamphlets First Kiss, Maytree Press, 2020 She was a candidate on the regional list for West Scotland in the 2026 Scottish Parliament election. Prior to becoming an MSP she ran the Skelmorlie library. The co-convener of the Ayshire greens, she was elected as a list MSP in 2026. She stood in North Ayrshire and Arran in 2024.