Margaret Smith (born 18 February 1961) is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician. She is the former Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Edinburgh West constituency, a seat she held from 1999 Scottish Parliament election until 2011 Scottish Parliament election. She was the Scottish Liberal Democrats Spokesperson for Education. She was the first openly lesbian MSP. At the 2011 election, she lost her seat to the Scottish National Party's Colin Keir who won with a majority of 2,689. As the Liberal Democrats failed to win any seats on the Lothian regional list, Smith was not returned as an MSP. Her constituency seat was however won back in 2016 by the Liberal Democrats' Alex Cole-Hamilton. References External links Margaret Smith profile at the site of Scottish Liberal Democrats 1961 births Living people Liberal Democrat MSPs Lesbian politicians Female members of the Scottish Parliament Members of the Scottish Parliament 1999–2003 Members of the Scottish Parliament 2003–2007 Members of the Scottish Parliament 2007–2011 Members of the Scottish Parliament for Edinburgh constituencies 20th-century Scottish women politicians LGBT members of the Scottish Parliament