Queen's new church role for Reid

George Reid stood down from Holyrood in May 2007

Holyrood's former presiding officer has been appointed the Queen's representative to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

George Reid will take over from the Duke of York as Her Majesty's Lord High Commissioner to the church at its annual meeting later this year.

The former SNP member represented both Ochil as an MSP and Clackmannan and Stirlingshire East as an MP.

The 68-year-old retired from politics at May's Scottish Parliament election.

Mr Reid will make the opening and closing addresses to the Assembly.

The largely ceremonial role will also see him attend daily meetings then reporting back to the Queen personally on the week's business.

Mr Reid worked as a broadcast journalist before entering Westminster at the 1974 general election but lost his Clackmannan and Stirlingshire East seat in 1979.

He returned to elected office as an MSP at the first Scottish Parliament election in 1999 and replaced Sir David Steel as Presiding Officer in 2003.