Scott Ainslie was elected as Member of the European Parliament for London in June 2019, with 12.4% of the vote - the largest ever vote for a Green MEP candidate in the capital.
Originally from Edinburgh, where he stayed until he completed his degree in Business Studies at Edinburgh Napier University, Scott came to London to pursue his passion for acting. He won a scholarship to study drama at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and became a professional actor in 1994.
Scott moved to Streatham, South London, in 1997. He now has two teenage daughters, and his concern for their future has helped to fuel his fight to keep Britain in the EU and to take serious action on climate breakdown.
He is also passionate about putting an end to inequality, promoting transparency and democracy, and building a politics of hope not hate.
In London
Scott is a local councillor, having been elected in 2014 to become the only Green Party member on Lambeth Council. He continues to represent St Leonard’s Ward in Streatham.
In this role, Scott has vociferously spoken truth to power and sought to protect vulnerable people in his borough - defending council estates from imposed regeneration, preventing the closure of libraries and other front line services, protecting culturally-diverse independent businesses, and standing up for survivors of child abuse in children’s homes. He also helps the Lambeth People’s Audit follow the money, ensuring that the borough becomes more open, transparent and accountable in its use of public funds.
Over the four years he was the sole Green councillor in Lambeth, Scott - with the help of the local party - was able to present a credible alternative for the people in the borough. In 2018, he was re-elected with an increased majority, alongside four others, enabling the Greens to replace the Conservatives as the main opposition on Lambeth Council. Lambeth is now home to the largest group of Green councillors in London.
In the European Parliament
In the European Parliament, Scott is involved with a number of committees and groups. He is:
- A full member of the Transport and Tourism Committee
The TRAN committee is responsible for all matters relating to transport within the EU. Scott would like nothing short of a green transport revolution to get more people safely walking, cycling and using public transport.
- A substitute member of the Constitutional Affairs Committee
The AFCO committee is responsible for the scrutiny of the European treaties, the relationships between the European institutions, and the Parliament’s rules of procedure. It is the committee most involved in the fight for the UK to remain in the EU.
- A member of the Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
This brings together MEPs and the elected representatives of the African, Caribbean and Pacific states that have signed the Cotonou Agreement - a treaty which aims to eradicate poverty and gradually integrate ACP countries into the world economy.
- A substitute member of the Delegation to South Asia
The body of the European Parliament which covers interparliamentary relations with Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
- A substitute member of the Delegation for relations with Mercosur
The body of the Parliament which covers interparliamentary relations with representatives from Mercosur - the South American trading bloc and customs union, and the countries that compose it: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
- A member of the cross-party Anti-Racism and Diversity Intergroup
A cross-party group which promotes racial equality, counter racism, and educate about non-discrimination in the work of the European Parliament.
- A member of a number of Greens/EFA Working Groups
A member of the Greens/EFA Working Groups focusing on Climate, Transparency and Democracy, and Tax Justice.