Pam Gosal (born 25 April 1972) is a Scottish Conservative politician who has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for West Scotland since May 2021. She is one of the first women of colour elected to the Scottish parliament, alongside Kaukab Stewart, and is also the first woman of Indian descent and non-practising Sikh to serve as an elected member of the Scottish Parliament.
Background
Pam Gosal was born in Glasgow, Scotland. She helped run her family business before working in Local Government prior to being elected to the Scottish Parliament.
Political career
Gosal stood in East Dunbartonshire at the 2019 United Kingdom general election and came in third place.
She ran in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election as the Conservative candidate for Clydebank and Milngavie and West Scotland. Gosal finished third in the Clydebank and Milngavie seat, but she was elected as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for West Scotland. She is the first Sikh and first woman of Indian background to be elected as an MSP to the Scottish Parliament.
On 13 May 2021, Gosal and Stewart were sworn in as the first minority female MSPs. She took her oath in Punjabi as well as English.
In June 2023, she was appointed Deputy Chairwoman of the Scottish Conservatives and Deputy Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government.
Political opinions
She is an advocate of introducing a domestic violence register in Scotland.