Winnie Ewing memorial service to be held in Inverness

The independence supporter will be remembered this afternoon

"Madame Ecosse" was an MP, MEP, and MSP
Author: Kieran BrandPublished 15th Jul 2023

Tributes will be paid to the late SNP politician Winnie Ewing, the party's first female parliamentarian, at a memorial service.

The 93-year-old former MP, MEP, and MSP, affectionately known as Madame Ecosse, died last month, surrounded by her family.

Former first minister Alex Salmond and former Scottish Government Cabinet Minister, Alex Neil, will give eulogies at the service at Inverness Cathedral on Saturday, which will be livestreamed.

First Minister Humza Yousaf, Scottish Parliament Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone and Highland MSP Kate Forbes will also give readings.

The service will be conducted by the Most Reverend Mark Strange, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church and Bishop of the Diocese of Moray, Ross & Caithness, and the Very Reverend Sarah Murray, Provost of Inverness Cathedral.

Gaelic songs will be performed by Julie Fowlis, accompanied by her husband, Eamon Doorley, and Ciara, one of Mrs Ewing's grand-daughters.

Described as a "beloved icon" of the Scottish independence movement, Mrs Ewing was perhaps best known for declaring "Stop the world, Scotland wants to get on" after her shock victory at the Hamilton by-election in 1967.

Following her death Mr Yousaf paid tribute to the "steadfastly European" former MEP, saying that she had played a "key role in shaping the perception of Scotland as a true European nation".

And former first minister Nicola Sturgeon described Mrs Ewing, who was the first presiding officer of the reconvened Scottish Parliament in 1999, as a "beloved icon".

She said: "I can't begin to convey the depth of gratitude I feel for the advice, wisdom, encouragement and inspiration Winnie gave me and so many others over the years."

Mrs Ewing is survived by her children Fergus, Annabelle and Terry and grandchildren Natasha, Ciara, Jamie, and Sophie.

Her children Fergus and Annabelle are SNP MSPs, with Mr Ewing previously describing his mother as "superhuman".

A family spokesman said: "We have heard a myriad of anecdotes of happy experiences of Winnie over her long and successful time as MP, MEP and MSP.

"These have been of great comfort to the family.”

Mrs Ewing was born in Glasgow in 1929 and gained a law degree from Glasgow University, before being elected to the UK Parliament.

Despite losing the Hamilton seat in 1970, she was re-elected to Westminster in 1974 for Moray and Nairn, and retained her seat in the second election in October of the same year.

She was also president of the SNP until 2005 and remained an ardent supporter of the independence cause after her resignation from elected office.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.