Politicians from across the spectrum have paid tribute to Tom McCabe, the former Labour MSP and minister who has died at the age of 60 after a short illness.
Mr McCabe had the distinction of being the first MSP to be elected to the Scottish parliament, with his Hamilton South constituency declaring the result an hour after polls closed in 1999.
The former South Lanarkshire council leader went on to serve as finance minister in a coalition government and held other senior positions. Among his achievements was introducing the ban on smoking in public places.
Known as a strategic thinker and business leader, he ran Wendy Alexander’s campaign to lead the Scottish Labour party in 2007, losing his seat in 2011 when the SNP swept