Scottish Government minister hospitalised and taking time off due to illness

A Scottish Government minister has been hospitalised and is taking time off work due to illness.

Business minister Richard Lochhead was admitted to Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin earlier this week after "a few days of feeling ill".

The long-serving Moray MSP said he needs "to take some time to focus on getting well and back on my feet again."

He said he is "not able to respond to messages" and added that he "looks forward to getting back to working... just as soon as I've recovered from this illness.

Lochhead has been an MSP since Holyrood was founded in 1999.

He was initially a regional MSP for the North East before he won the Moray by-election in 2006. He has held his seat in every election since.

He served as Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs under Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon. He was in the role for nine years between 2007 and 2016.

After two years out of government he joined as a junior education minister before taking up the role of employment minister in 2021. He became business minister when Humza Yousaf took over and was reappointed yesterday.

The 54-year-old from Paisley worked as office manager for Alex Salmond between 1994 and 1998.

He stood for Westminster in 1997 and unsuccessfully stood in the Holyrood constituency of Aberdeen Central in 1999 and 2003.

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