George Lyon (Scottish politician)
George Lyon | |
---|---|
Member of the European Parliament for Scotland | |
In office 4 June 2009 – 26 May 2014 | |
Preceded by | Elspeth Attwooll |
Succeeded by | David Coburn[1] |
Member of the Scottish Parliament for Argyll and Bute | |
In office 6 May 1999 – 3 May 2007 | |
Preceded by | New Parliament |
Succeeded by | Jim Mather |
Personal details | |
Born | 16 July 1956 |
Nationality | Scottish |
Political party | Liberal Democrat |
Website | [1] |
George Lyon (born 16 July 1956 in Rothesay) is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician, and a former Member of the European Parliament for Scotland.[2] Lyon is a former farmer from the Isle of Bute, and previous National Farmers Union of Scotland president. From 1999 to 2007 he was the Member of the Scottish Parliament for Argyll and Bute, and served as both Chief Whip and Deputy Finance Minister.
A member of the the Alliance of Liberal Democrats in Europe (ALDE) group whilst in the EP, Lyon was lead spokesperson for ALDE on the Agriculture Committee, and played a key role in the reform of Europe's Common Agricultural Policy. Lyon was vice-chair of the EP's Budget Committee, and working with Lib Dem Ministers in the UK Government and ALDE, succeeded in cutting the overall EU budget by £28bn over the next seven years, while increasing spending on Research, Transport and Education.[citation needed] He also negotiated savings in EU staff costs of up to £6.5bn through his work on the reform of staff regulations.[citation needed]