Liam Kerr

Liam Kerr (born 23 January 1975) is a British politician who served as Deputy Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 2019 to 2020 and as the Scottish Conservatives’ Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Justice from 2017 to 2021. Kerr has served as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills since 2023 and as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the North East Scotland region since 2016.

Early life and education Liam Kerr grew up in Edinburgh, and was educated at George Watson's College, the University of St Andrews and the University of Edinburgh, where he graduated with a MA (Hons.) degree in Sociology in 1997. He served as Deputy Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party, alongside Annie Wells, under Jackson Carlaw. However, they both were dismissed and the post was abolished shortly after Douglas Ross became Scottish Conservative leader in August 2020.

In 2016, he stood for the Scottish Parliament as the Conservative candidate in Aberdeen Donside, coming second to the SNP's Mark McDonald, then was elected on the regional list.

In June 2017, Kerr was appointed by the Scottish Conservatives as their for spokesperson for Justice in the Scottish Parliament. He sits on the Justice Committee and is deputy convenor of the Public Audit and Post-legislative Scrutiny Committee.

In the 2021 Scottish election Kerr stood for the Aberdeen South and North Kincardine seat and came second to the SNP's Audrey Nicoll.

Kerr lodged a confidence motion against Green minister Lorna Slater in 2023, claiming that she had mismanaged the Deposit Return Scheme (a container return scheme which she had ministerial responsibility for). Slater survived the vote which saw 55 MSPs vote in favour of the motion, including SNP MSP Fergus Ewing, and 68 against.

In the 2026 Scottish parliament election, he stood as the Conservative candidate in Aberdeen Deeside and North Kincardine, coming a narrow second to the SNP's leader in the House of Commons, Stephen Flynn, but was elected on the regional list for North East Scotland.