New Scottish Parliament presiding officer Ken Macintosh mistakes caterers, journalists and police for new MSPs

The new presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament, Ken Macintosh, has welcomed two members of catering staff, a journalist and special branch officer to the Scottish Parliament thinking they were new MSPs.

In his speech on being appointed yesterday, Macintosh said it would take time to get to know all the names and their constituencies and regions.

 “I can see around me many familiar faces and friends - and I welcome you back – but I see too, a huge number of new members, freshly elected, and can I just say on a personal level, the energy, the infectious enthusiasm and the optimism with which you have filled this building already in the few days you have been here has invigorated me.

“It has refreshed this place and reminded us all of the opportunity the Scottish Parliament offers all of us to make a better Scotland.

“And as we look ahead together over the next five years I hope we can work together. I do however wish to apologise now with a record number of new faces I am sure I am going to make some mistakes in the next few days.

“I’m bound to misidentify you. I’ll probably relocate your region or constituency to another part of Scotland.

“In the last few days I have warmly congratulated on their election to this Parliament two members of our catering staff, a BBC journalist and a Special Branch Officer working for Prince Charles last night.

“But the revitalising of this Parliament reminds me of the promise offered by devolution, which is to work together across the party divide for the common good.”

He drew an analogy with his father, who never stood for office, being asked to stand by three different parties and his current role as presiding officer.

“I hope that I’ve inherited that quality from him,” he said.

Macintosh also paid tribute to outgoing presiding office Tricia Marwick, who he said should find room for a feeling of pride “pride that she has served her constituency, her region and her country with distinction over 17 years, and pride too that she had the courage as presiding officer to begin the process of Parliamentary reform, a process I’d be honoured to follow in her footsteps.”

He said Marwick had left the parliament “more mature, more established and more confident than ever before”.

As she handed over, Marwick said: “I’ve known Ken Macintosh as a colleague and a friend since 1999 and I wish you well in what is the best job in Scotland.”