View source for Nicol Stephen

{{Short description|British politician (born 1960)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name                = The Lord Stephen
| honorific-suffix    = 
| image               = Nicol Stephen.jpg
| caption             = Official portrait, 2003
| office2              = [[Leader of Scottish Liberal Democrats]]
| deputy2              = [[Michael Moore (British politician)|Michael Moore]]
| term_start2          = 23 June 2005
| term_end2            = 2 July 2008
| leader2              = [[Charles Kennedy]]<br />[[Menzies Campbell]]<br />[[Vince Cable]] (Acting)<br />[[Nick Clegg]]
| 2blankname2          = [[Scottish Liberal Democrats|President]]
| 2namedata2           = [[Malcolm Bruce]]
| predecessor2         = [[Jim Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness|Jim Wallace]]
| successor2           = [[Tavish Scott]]
| order              = <!--Order is used for U.S. politicians. Please do not add.-->
| office             = [[Deputy First Minister of Scotland]]
| term_start         = 27 June 2005
| term_end           = 17 May 2007
| firstminister      = [[Jack McConnell]]
| predecessor        = Jim Wallace
| successor          = [[Nicola Sturgeon]]
{{collapsed infobox section begin|Ministerial offices
| titlestyle=border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}{{Infobox officeholder |embed=yes
| office              = [[Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning]]
| term_start          = 27 June 2005
| term_end            = 17 May 2007
| firstminister       = Jack McConnell
| predecessor         = Jim Wallace
| successor           = ''Position abolished''
| office1             = [[Minister for Transport and Telecommunications]]
| term_start1         = 21 May 2003
| term_end1           = 27 June 2005
| firstminister1      = Jack McConnell
| predecessor1        = ''Office established''
| successor1          = Tavish Scott
{{collapsed infobox section end}}
}}
{{collapsed infobox section begin|last=yes|Parliamentary offices
| cont=yes |titlestyle=border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}{{Infobox officeholder |embed=yes
| office              = [[Member of the House of Lords]]
| status              = [[Lord Temporal]]
| termlabel           = [[Life peer]]age
| term_start          = 7 February 2011
| term_end            = 
| office1             = [[Member of the Scottish Parliament]]<br />for [[Aberdeen South (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Aberdeen South]]
| term_start1         = 6 May 1999
| term_end1           = 22 March 2011
| predecessor1        = ''Constituency established''
| successor1          = ''Constituency abolished''
| office2             = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br />for [[Kincardine and Deeside (UK Parliament constituency)|Kincardine and Deeside]]
| term_start2         = 7 November 1991
| term_end2           = 16 March 1992
| predecessor2        = [[Alick Buchanan-Smith (politician)|Alick Buchanan-Smith]]
| successor2          = [[George Kynoch (Kincardine and Deeside MP)|George Kynoch]]
{{collapsed infobox section end}}
}}
| birth_name          = Nicol Ross Stephen
| birth_date          = {{Birth date and age|1960|03|23|df=yes}}
| birth_place         = [[Aberdeen]], Scotland
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| birthname           = 
| nationality         = Scottish
| party               = [[Scottish Liberal Democrats]]
| spouse              = Caris Doig (Lady Stephen)
| relations           = 
| children            = 4
| residence           = 
| alma_mater          = [[University of Aberdeen]], [[University of Edinburgh]]
| occupation          = 
| profession          = 
| cabinet             = 
| committees          = 
| signature           = 
| website             = 
| footnotes           = 
}}
'''Nicol Ross Stephen, Baron Stephen''' (born 23 March 1960) is a Scottish politician who served as [[Deputy First Minister of Scotland]] and [[Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning]] from 2005 to 2007. A member of the [[Scottish Liberal Democrats]], he was the [[Member of the Scottish Parliament]] (MSP) for [[Aberdeen South (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Aberdeen South]] from 1999 to 2011, and was leader of the [[Scottish Liberal Democrats]] from 2005 to 2008.

Stephen was elected to the [[Scottish Parliament]] in [[1999 Scottish Parliament election|1999]]. Following the coalition agreement between the [[Scottish Liberal Democrats]] and [[Scottish Labour]], he became Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning. Later in the same parliamentary term he became Deputy Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs, and then for Education and Young People. Following the [[2003 Scottish Parliament election]], he joined the [[Scottish Executive]] cabinet as [[Minister for Transport (Junior Minister)#Minister_for_Transport_and_Infrastructure|Minister for Transport]].

In 2005, following the resignation of his predecessor [[Jim Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness|Jim Wallace]], Stephen was elected leader of the party and also became [[Deputy First Minister of Scotland|deputy first minister]] and Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning. He led his party into the [[2007 Scottish Parliament election|2007 election]], where it won 16 seats (down one on [[2003 Scottish Parliament election|2003]]). He resigned as party leader on 2 July 2008, triggering a [[2008 Scottish Liberal Democrats leadership election|leadership election]]. In 2011 he joined the [[House of Lords]]. He became a patron of The Aberdeen Law Project in 2011.

==Background and family life==
Born in [[Aberdeen]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/aspect/aspect2003/sld/a03sldabs.htm|title=Nicol Stephen, Scottish Liberal Democrat Party candidate, Aberdeen South, 2003|website=gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk}}</ref> he was educated at [[Robert Gordon's College]] in [[Aberdeen]] and at the [[University of Aberdeen]], where he obtained an [[LLB]] in 1980. He then took his [[Diploma in Legal Practice]] at the [[University of Edinburgh School of Law]] and worked for a number of years as a solicitor before moving into [[corporate finance]] as a senior manager with [[Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu|Deloitte & Touche]].

He was a former Chair of [[CREATE (rail electrification campaign)|CREATE]] (a group campaigning for [[rail electrification]] between Aberdeen and Edinburgh); a chairperson of STAR (Save [[Tor-na-Dee Hospital]] and [[Roxburghe House]]); and the founder and director of [[Grampian Enterprise]].

He is married with 4 children.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.scotlibdems.org.uk/people/holyrood/nicol-stephen |title=Nicol Stephen {{!}} Scottish Liberal Democrats |access-date=12 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205205731/http://www.scotlibdems.org.uk/people/holyrood/nicol-stephen |archive-date=5 February 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Early political career==
He was elected to [[Grampian]] Regional Council in 1982 (as Scotland's youngest councillor) and was Chair of Grampian's Economic Development and Planning Committee from 1986 to 1991.

He was briefly a [[British House of Commons|Member of Parliament]] for the [[Kincardine and Deeside (UK Parliament constituency)|Kincardine and Deeside]] constituency, elected in the [[1991 Kincardine and Deeside by-election|November 1991 by-election]] following the death of [[Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party|Conservative and Unionist]] [[Alick Buchanan-Smith (politician)|Alick Buchanan-Smith]]. He was a member of the Liberal Democrat treasury team and spokesperson on small business during his time in the House of Commons. The seat returned to the Conservative and Unionist party at the [[List of MPs elected in the 1992 United Kingdom general election|1992 general election]], when it was won by [[George Kynoch (Kincardine and Deeside MP)|George Kynoch]].

He later stood for the [[Aberdeen South (UK Parliament constituency)|Aberdeen South]] constituency in the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 election]] for Aberdeen South, but was defeated by the [[Scottish Labour]] candidate.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,,-4973,00.html |title=Nicol Stephen|access-date=4 April 2007 |archive-date=6 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706094000/http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,,-4973,00.html |url-status=dead|website=[[guardian.co.uk]]}}</ref>

==Scottish Parliament==

===Minister and Deputy Minister roles===

Nicol Stephen was elected as MSP for [[Aberdeen South (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Aberdeen South]] in the [[1999 Scottish Parliament election|first elections to the Scottish Parliament]]. He later helped negotiate the [[Lib–Lab pact|Partnership Agreement for the coalition government]] with the Labour Party.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/Ministers/Deputy-First-Minister|title=Scotland.gov.uk- Deputy First Minister}}</ref>

He later served in the [[Scottish Executive]] as Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/346831.stm|title=Scottish junior ministers named|website=[[BBC News]]|date=18 May 1999}}</ref> (1999 to 2000), then as Deputy Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs (2000 to 2001),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/997287.stm|title=Cabinet reshuffle - the full line-up|website=BBC News|date=29 October 2000}}</ref> and as Deputy Minister for Education and Young People (2001 to 2003).

Following the [[2003 Scottish Parliament election|2003 election]], he was appointed Minister for Transport. During his time in this post, he was responsible for approving the controversial [[M74 motorway|M74]] extension.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=317052005|title=M74 link driven past green lobby|newspaper=[[The Scotsman]]|access-date=5 April 2007|archive-date=27 October 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061027091617/http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=317052005|url-status=dead|first1=Peter|last1=Macmahon|first2=Chris|last2=McAuley}}</ref>

===Deputy First Minister===
Following the resignation of [[Jim Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness|Jim Wallace]] in May 2005 as leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Nicol Stephen announced his intention to stand for the leadership.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4532137.stm|title=Stephen to stand for leadership|date=10 May 2005|website=BBC News}}</ref> He defeated rival candidate, [[Mike Rumbles]], who advocated ending the coalition agreement with the Scottish Labour Party, winning 76.6%, becoming party leader on 23 June 2005. Four days later on 27 June 2005, he was appointed [[Deputy First Minister of Scotland]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4122106.stm|title=Lib Dems choose Stephen as leader|date=23 June 2005|website=BBC News}}</ref> Following his leadership victory, a mini-reshuffle of the [[Scottish Government|Scottish Cabinet]], saw him take on the role of [[Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4624841.stm BBC News- "Reshuffle reveals cabinet line-up"]</ref>

===Opposition===
Following the [[2007 Scottish Parliament election|2007 general election]], the [[Scottish National Party|SNP]] emerged as the largest party by one seat but short of an overall majority, they held discussions with the [[Scottish Greens|Scottish Green Party]] and also intimated that it would be open to discussions with the Liberal Democrats. However, since the Liberal Democrats had indicated that they would not enter discussions with parties which continued to favour a [[Independence referendum|referendum on independence]], no formal talks were held. The SNP became a [[First Salmond government|minority administration]] and officially entered government on 17 May 2007; Nicol Stephen ceased to be Deputy First Minister and began led his party to the opposition benches.

Despite being out of government, his party worked with the SNP Government on certain issues where they broadly agreed, including replacing the [[Council Tax]] with a [[Local income tax in Scotland|local income tax]] to fund a proportion of [[Local government in Scotland|local government revenue]]. He developed a reputation among some journalists as an effective and forceful critic of some aspects of the [[Scottish Government]]'s policy and performance, especially at [[First Minister's Questions (Scottish Parliament)|First Minister's Question Time]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/briantaylor/2008/06/05/index.html|title=Brian Taylor's blog "Blether with Brian", 5 June 2008}}</ref>

Along with [[Wendy Alexander]] and [[Annabel Goldie]], he took his party into the [[Commission on Scottish Devolution]] chaired by [[Kenneth Calman|Sir Kenneth Calman]], but was opposed to any suggestion that this would result in powers of the Parliament being returned to Westminster.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7271094.stm Holyrood 'won't give back powers' (BBC News, 29 February 2008],</ref>

===Resignation as party leader===
On 2 July 2008, Nicol Stephen announced he was stepping down as party leader with immediate effect because of the pressures of leading a political party while having a young family based in [[Aberdeen]], some distance from Parliament in [[Edinburgh]]. Nicol Stephen's resignation took many in [[Politics of Scotland|Scottish politics]] by surprise, and came only four days after the resignation of the former leader of Labour in the Scottish Parliament, [[Wendy Alexander]]. He was succeeded by [[Tavish Scott]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/7486589.stm|title=Scots Lib Dem leader quits post|date=2 July 2008|website=BBC News}}</ref>

On 24 September 2010, Nicol Stephen announced he would not be standing again at the [[Scottish elections in May 2011]].

==House of Lords==
On 2 February 2011, he was created a [[life peer]] as '''Baron Stephen''', of [[Lower Deeside]] in the [[Aberdeen City (council area)|City of Aberdeen]],<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=59691 |date=7 February 2011 |page=2053}}</ref> and was [[Introduction (House of Lords)|introduced]] in the [[House of Lords]] on 7 February 2011,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/minutes/110208/ldordpap.htm#minproc|title=House of Lords Minute of Proceedings for 7 February 2011}}</ref> where he sits on the Liberal Democrat benches. He said he would use his new position to help reform the House of Lords.<ref>{{cite web |title=MSP takes seat in the House of Lords |url=http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/2126674 |website=[[The Press and Journal (Scotland)|The Press and Journal]] |location=Aberdeen |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120527195736/http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/2126674 |archive-date=27 May 2012 |date=8 February 2011}}</ref>

== Career outside politics ==
Following his resignation as leader of the [[Scottish Liberal Democrats]], Nicol Stephen co-founded Scottish renewable energy company Renewable Energy Ventures Ltd,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC354610|title=Renewable Energy Ventures Limited|publisher=Gov.uk|access-date=14 April 2025}}</ref> and he was responsible for the development of several onshore wind projects. 

In 2013, Nicol Stephen started work to develop the [[Kincardine floating offshore wind farm|Kincardine Offshore Windfarm]], located 15 km off the coast of Aberdeenshire, which became the world’s largest floating windfarm when completed in 2021.<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 October 2022|title=Can floating turbines harvest the world's wind? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-63300959/|access-date=14 April 2025|work=BBC News}}</ref> Construction began on the 50 MW windfarm in 2017, and the project started generating power in 2018.<ref>{{Cite news |date=30 October 2018|title=Kincardine up and running  |url=https://www.4coffshore.com/news/kincardine-up-and-running-nid8745.html|access-date=14 April 2025|work=4c Offshore}}</ref> He remains a director of Kincardine Offshore Windfarm.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC475345/officers|title=Kincardine Offshore Windfarm Limited|publisher=Gov.uk|access-date=14 April 2025}}</ref> 

In 2018, Nicol Stephen founded Flotation Energy,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://flotationenergy.com/history/|title=History|publisher=Flotation Energy|access-date=14 April 2025}}</ref> building on the previous experience of the team that developed the [[Kincardine floating offshore wind farm|Kincardine Offshore Windfarm]] and other renewables projects. Flotation Energy currently employs more than 150 staff,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://flotationenergy.com/careers/|title=Careers|publisher=Flotation Energy|access-date=14 April 2025}}</ref> developing major offshore projects in the UK, Europe and Asia-Pacific.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://flotationenergy.com/projects/|title=Projects|publisher=Flotation Energy|access-date=14 April 2025}}</ref> 
 
In November 2022, Flotation Energy was acquired by TEPCO Renewable Power, part of the [[Tokyo Electric Power Company]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=2 November 2022|title=Tepco acquires Kincardine developer Flotation Energy|url=https://renews.biz/81498/tepco-acquires-kincardine-developer-flotation-energy/|access-date=14 April 2025|work=reNews}}</ref> with Nicol Stephen remaining at the company as Chief Executive Officer.

==See also==
*[[List of United Kingdom MPs with the shortest service]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Hansard-contribs | mr-nicol-stephen | Nicol Stephen }}
* {{SP-MSP}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120205205731/http://www.scotlibdems.org.uk/people/holyrood/nicol-stephen Nicol Stephen MSP] profile at the site of Scottish Liberal Democrats

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{{Current Liberal Democrat Peers}}
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{{Scottish Parliament election, 2007A}}
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{{Former Liberal Democrat MSPs|state=collapsed}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephen, Nicol}}
[[Category:1960 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Deputy first ministers of Scotland]]
[[Category:Leaders of the Scottish Liberal Democrats]]
[[Category:Scottish Liberal Democrat MPs]]
[[Category:Liberal Democrat MSPs]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1987–1992]]
[[Category:Members of the Scottish Parliament 1999–2003]]
[[Category:Members of the Scottish Parliament 2003–2007]]
[[Category:Members of the Scottish Parliament 2007–2011]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies]]
[[Category:Scottish Liberal Democrat councillors]]
[[Category:Scottish solicitors]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Aberdeen]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh]]
[[Category:People educated at Robert Gordon's College]]
[[Category:Members of the Scottish Parliament for Aberdeen constituencies]]
[[Category:Liberal Democrats (UK) life peers]]
[[Category:Life peers created by Elizabeth II]]
[[Category:Scottish political candidates]]
[[Category:Liberal Democrats (UK) parliamentary candidates]]