Lesley Scott 1966-2025

All of us at the Institute were deeply saddened to learn of the passing last month of Lesley Scott, who worked tirelessly alongside us as part of the NO2NP campaign.

Running from 2014 to 2018, it was launched to oppose the Scottish Government’s unpopular “named person” scheme, which was enshrined into law under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. Under the scheme, every child in Scotland aged under 18 had a “named person” appointed by the state who would be responsible for their “wellbeing”. This usurped the role of all parents, who have the primary responsibility for raising the next generation, unless there are compelling reasons for social work involvement.

Lesley spoke at the vast majority of the dozens of public meetings held by NO2NP across Scotland between 2014 and 2016, when the legislation was finally struck down by Supreme Court and declared “not law”, following the Institute’s legal challenge. The campaign was awarded Public Campaigner of the Year by The Herald newspaper in 2016.

Lesley was a Christian and her deep, personal faith was central to her funeral service, which was held at Errol Parish Church near her home in Perthshire on Thursday last week. Members of Institute staff who had worked closely with Lesley during the campaign attended the funeral and the CI’s Scotland Officer Nigel Kenny was invited to give a eulogy.

I was able to speak to Lesley at the hospice. I encouraged her to keep trusting Jesus for this final stage of life’s journey. Lesley said: “Oh yes, I do, I do – absolutely!” I assured her that Jesus would carry her through – and He has – to the bright everlasting days beyond the valley of the shadow of death. And He will carry the family through the coming weeks and months too…

…Not only did Lesley speak at NO2NP meetings, she did some incredible research for each and every one of them, finding out the various ways in which the local authority for that particular area had been blatantly sharing sensitive data on children unnecessarily and without their parents’ consent…

…Following the groundbreaking Supreme Court judgment, the domino effect thereafter was incredible, as John Swinney tried to introduce amended legislation. The Education and Skills Committee heard professional after professional raise concerns about the named person scheme and for the first time in Holyrood’s history, a government Bill was blocked and John Swinney was forced to abandon it. And finally – just a couple of years ago – he formally repealed Parts IV and V of the Act.

The enormity of this cannot be underestimated. This had never happened before in the Scottish Parliament and the court case is now taught in public law classes for Scotland’s university law degrees. Most importantly of all, every Scottish family is now free to raise their children according to their values instead of the state dictating to them…

…On a more personal note, I was always struck by the combination of strengths that made up Lesley Scott: she was a loving wife, a devoted mother and a faithful friend to everyone who had the privilege of knowing her. She was highly intelligent, well read, a thorough researcher and a persuasive debater (she left cabinet minister Aileen Campbell floundering on Radio Scotland!), yet she was never argumentative but always polite, measured and respectful. Lesley kept making the case at public meetings with her trademark cascade of Xerox printouts of the 222 “risk indicators” and 304 “outcome signifiers” that every single named person was required to be constantly aware of and consider for every single child whose wellbeing was their legal responsibility…

…Like Hermia in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream – “Although she be but little, she is fierce.” Not fierce in an angry or intimidating sense, but a woman of great spirit, great faith and great determination, who refused to be intimidated – a very special lady whom we all loved and who loved all of us…

…The following verses provide the greatest hope any one of us can have in life – the words of Jesus, who wept at his friend Lazarus’s grave: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Lesley did with all her heart and I know it was her great desire that we all would too.