Half of Scotland’s MPs educated at the country’s four ancient universities
ENGLAND’S elite Oxford and Cambridge Universities have long dominated Westminster.
The two ancient seats of learning can boast half the members of David Cameron’s British Cabinet.
But analysis by The Herald shows Scotland’s four ancient universities between them are proportionately even more influential north of the Border. Between them, Glasgow, Edinburgh, St Andrews and Aberdeen educated fully half of Scotland’s 59 MPs.
In fact, more than a third of Scottish MPs elected earlier this month attended Glasgow or Edinburgh at one time or another.
That compares with about a quarter of MPs who went to Oxford or Cambridge.
The big Scottish universities may not be quite as elitist as Oxbridge, which still takes a huge disproportionate number of students from fee-paying or selective schools.
But Glasgow alone already has proportionately as many graduates in the Scottish Parliament – 25 per cent – as Oxford and Cambridge have put together in the Commons. Recent Glasgow alumni to star on the political stage include First Ministers Donald Dewar and Nicola Sturgeon.
A total of 12 of the 59 Scottish MPs have attended Glasgow University, including Mhairi Black, the 20-year-old politics student who has just become Britain’s youngest MP for centuries, Nine Scottish MPs went to Edinburgh, including Aberdeen South’s Kirsty Blackman, who dropped out after a year studying medicine, and Edinburgh South West’s Joanna Cherry.
St Andrews has three MPs in the Scottish contingent of MPs, including former First Minister Alex Salmond. It boasts a cabinet member, in Perth-born Defence Secretary Michael Fallon.
Aberdeen University has six alumni among the 59 Scottish MPs, including former Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael.
That is fewer than the seven who studied at Strathclyde University.
Professor Michael Keating of Aberdeen University, reckons Oxbridge is still more influential than the ancient Scottish universities, because of its graduates abilities to reach the very top of British power.
The Herald’s analysis is based on public statements by MPs or on responses to our questions. Only one of the 59, Peter Grant, SNP MP for Glenrothes and Central Fife, refused to reveal his educational background. He said he did not regard the information as “relevant”.