Alexander Burnett (politician)


Alexander James Amherst Burnett of Leys is a Scottish Conservative Party politician who serves as Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Aberdeenshire West constituency.

Family and background

Alexander Burnett is the son of James Comyn Amherst Burnett of Leys, Chief of the Name and Arms of the House of Burnett, and Fiona Mercedes Phillips. His mother is the daughter of Harold Phillips and Georgina, Lady Kennard, and a sister of the Duchesses of Abercorn and Westminster. Burnett is a fourth-great-grandson of Nicholas I of Russia on his mother's side, and through the same line also claims descent from the Russian noblemen Abram Petrovich Hannibal and Alexander Pushkin. He was educated at Eton College and Newcastle University, where he graduated with an LL.B..

Career

Prior to his election to the Scottish Parliament in May 2016, Burnett had previously been the Conservative Party's candidate in the West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine consistency in the 2015 general election, which has similar boundaries. He won 28.8% of the vote and came second to the SNP's Stuart Donaldson.
Burnett is the Conservative spokesperson for energy in the Scottish Parliament. He sits on the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee of the Scottish Parliament.

Personal life

Burnett is married to Lavinia Cox, with whom he has three children: one son and two daughters.

Ancestry