Minister of State
Responsibilities
Current role holder
Michael Shanks MP
Michael Shanks was appointed Minister of State in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on 21 July 2026.
He was previously Minister for Energy between 6 September 2025 and 21 July 2026, and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero between 9 July 2024 to 6 September 2025.
He was elected as the MP for Rutherglen in October 2023.
Education
Michael graduated from the University of Glasgow with a degree in history and politics. He then studied for a PGDE at Glasgow.
Political career
Michael served as the Shadow Minister of State for Scotland from October 2023 to May 2024.
Career outside politics
Michael was a secondary school teacher and previously worked in the third sector on reducing offending. He ran a charity for disabled children for 15 years and is a trustee of 3 other charitable organisations.