{{Short description|Scottish politician}} {{Use dmy dates |date=May 2016}} {{Use British English|date=May 2016}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Gordon Lindhurst | honorific_suffix = | office3 = Member of the Scottish Parliament<br />for Lothian<br />{{nobold|(1 of 7 Regional MSPs)}} | term_start3 = 5 May 2016 | term_end3 = 5 May 2021 | predecessor3 = | successor3 = | majority3 = | birth_date = | birth_place = | party = Scottish Conservatives | occupation = Advocate | alma_mater = University of Edinburgh<br />University of Glasgow<br />Heidelberg University | website = | image = Gordon Lindhurst MSP.jpg }}
'''Gordon John Lindhurst''' is a former Scottish Conservative politician and practising advocate. He served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Lothian region from 2016 to 2021. Lindhurst has also been called as a barrister in England and Wales.
==Background and legal career== Lindhurst studied at the University of Edinburgh where he completed his first degree, an LLB (Honours). At Glasgow University he studied the vocational Diploma in Legal Practice before completing his legal training to become a solicitor with the Edinburgh law firm, Warden Bruce & Co. WS. Following qualification, Lindhurst studied for and was awarded a master's degree in European law at Heidelberg University in Germany, and is fluent in German.<ref name="Advocate profile">{{cite web |title=Gordon Lindhorst |url=https://www.westwateradvocates.com/counsel/gordon-lindhorst/ |website=Westwater Advocates |publisher=Westwater Advocates |access-date=18 May 2022}}</ref> Thereafter calling to the Scottish Bar, he practised full time as an advocate until entering the Scottish Parliament. Lindhurst was also called as a barrister in England and Wales in 2008.<ref name="Faculty of Advocates Profile">{{cite web |title=Gordon J.S. Lindhorst |url=https://www.advocates.org.uk/advocates/gordon-lindhorst |website=Advocates |publisher=Faculty of Advocates |access-date=18 May 2022}}</ref>
Lindhurst returned to practice in 2021.<ref name="A warm welcome to Gordon Lindhorst">{{cite web |title=A warm welcome to Gordon Lindhorst |url=https://www.westwateradvocates.com/a-warm-welcome-to-gordon-lindhorst/ |website=Westwater Advocates |date=17 December 2021 |publisher=Westwater Advocates |access-date=18 May 2022}}</ref>
==Political career==
===Early career=== Lindhurst was the Conservative candidate for Linlithgow in the 1999 and 2003 Scottish Parliament elections. He also stood in the 2001 general election in Linlithgow and the 2005 Livingston by-election, finishing third of six with 9.0% and fourth of ten with 6.8% respectively.<ref name="Demon">{{cite web|url=http://www.election.demon.co.uk/by2005.html|title=Results of Byelections in the 2005-2010 Parliament|last=Boothroyd|first=David|access-date=24 July 2023|website=United Kingdom Election Results|archive-date=27 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151227081306/http://www.election.demon.co.uk/by2005.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the 2015 United Kingdom general election he stood as a candidate in Edinburgh South West, coming third of six candidates with 20.2% of the vote.<ref name="auto">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/S14000025 |title=Election 2015: Edinburgh South West. Parliamentary constituency |date=8 May 2015 |accessdate=7 May 2016}}</ref>
===Election to the Scottish Parliament=== In the 2016 Scottish Parliament election Lindhurst stood for the Edinburgh Pentlands constituency, finishing in second place, but successfully increasing the Scottish Conservative vote share.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/scotland-constituencies/S16000107 |title=Edinburgh Pentlands |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |date= |accessdate=7 May 2016}}</ref> Having missed out in the constituency vote, he was instead elected for the Lothian regional list.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/scotland-regions/S17000012 |title=Election 2016: Lothian. Scottish Parliament region |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |accessdate=7 May 2016 |date=6 May 2016}}</ref>
As an MSP, he served as Convener of the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee, whose work included one of the few Committee Bills of the session, the Pre-Release Access to Official Statistics (Scotland) Act 2021. He also served as a member of the Social Security Committee, the Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee, and the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee during his time as an MSP.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gordon Lindhurst MSP|url=http://www.parliament.scot/msps/currentmsps/gordon-lindhurst-msp.aspx|website=Scottish Parliament|accessdate=23 June 2016}}</ref>
Lindhurst ran again in Edinburgh Pentlands at the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, where he received 12,330 votes (32.3%), up by 0.1% compared to 2016.<ref>{{cite news|title = Edinburgh Pentlands - Scottish Parliament constituency|url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2021/scotland/constituencies/S16000107|work = BBC News |access-date = 12 July 2025}}</ref> Additionally, Lindhurst sought re-election on the regional list, though was not entitled to a seat, due to being placed seventh.<ref>{{cite news|title = Scottish Parliament election 2021: Lothian regional candidates|url =https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-56565291|work = BBC News|date = 6 April 2021|access-date = 12 July 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title = Lothian - BBC News|url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2021/scotland/regions/S17000012|work = BBC News|access-date = 12 July 2025}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web|title = SP21 - The Headline Results - Ballot Box Scotland|url = https://ballotbox.scot/sp21-the-headline-results/|website = Ballot Box Scotland|date = 10 May 2021|access-date = 12 July 2025}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
== External links == * {{SP-MSP}}
{{Former Conservative MSPs|state=collapsed}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lindhurst, Gordon}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:Conservative MSPs Category:Members of the Scottish Parliament 2016–2021 Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Category:Members of the Faculty of Advocates Category:Heidelberg University alumni Category:Alumni of the University of Glasgow Category:Scottish Conservative parliamentary candidates