Richard Lyle

Richard Macdonald Lyle (born 12 June 1950) is a retired Scottish National Party (SNP) politician. He served as the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Uddingston and Bellshill constituency from 2016 to 2021. Lyle had previously represented the Central Scotland region.[1]

Richard Lyle
Member of the Scottish Parliament for Uddingston and Bellshill
In office 5 May 2016 – 25 March 2021
Preceded by	Michael McMahon
Succeeded by	Stephanie Callaghan
Majority	4,809
Member of the Scottish Parliament for Central Scotland region
In office 7 May 2011 – 5 May 2016
Personal details
Born	(1950-06-12) 12 June 1950
Political party	Scottish National Party

Lyle, who was educated at Lawmuir School and Bellshill Academy, has served as a local councillor on Motherwell District Council and North Lanarkshire Council since 1976.[2] Lyle worked for the Royal Bank of Scotland as well before becoming an MSP.[3]

In 2011, Lyle won election as an MSP for the Central Scotland Region.[3]

During the debate on same-sex marriage in Scotland, Lyle along with his SNP colleagues Dave Thompson, John Mason and Bill Walker was widely condemned for raising a motion stating that no person or organisation should be forced to be involved or to approve of same-sex marriage.[4]

In the lead up to the 2016 Holyrood election it was revealed that Lyle's Holyrood nickname is "Salty Dick"[5] after it became public knowledge that he had once claimed the cost of a £1.80 bag of chips on expenses.[6]

Lyle has been at the center of an ongoing internal party dispute within the SNP Uddingston and Bellshill branch which saw a small minority of party members state that they would refuse to vote for him at the Holyrood election.[7]

In February 2020, Lyle announced that he would not be seeking re-election at the next Scottish Parliament election.[8]

In May 2020, he was slated by fellow MSPs and Palestinian rights groups after calling the Nakba a "self-inflicted tragedy". Lyle said a fifth of Israel’s citizens are Arabs "who chose not to flee in 1948, and who enjoy their democratic rights in Israel and contribute meaningfully to Israel society at all levels, including membership of the Knesset, with several Arabs serving as high ranking members of the Israel police and army. The conclusion can only be that the Naqba, the Arabic word for tragedy, resulting in the 1948 Palestine refugee crisis was sadly a self-inflicted tragedy, which must, after all these years, be finally resolved by peaceful means and discussions between the parties involved." Nadia El-Nakla, convenor of SNP Friends of Palestine, said Lyle's remarks were "not just a revision of history but also an insult to every Palestinian worldwide".[9]