Kenneth Wright MacAskill, born 28 April 1958 in Edinburgh, is a Scottish politician and lawyer who has held senior positions across multiple levels of government. Educated at Linlithgow Academy and the University of Edinburgh, where he studied law, MacAskill worked as a senior partner in a Glasgow law firm before entering politics. He served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament from 1999 to 2016, during which time he held the position of Cabinet Secretary for Justice from 2007 to 2014 under the SNP government. In this role, he became known for overseeing the controversial transfer of convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi to Libya. MacAskill also served on the SNP's National Executive Committee in various capacities, including treasurer and vice convener of policy.

MacAskill returned to elected office as Member of Parliament for East Lothian from 2019 to 2024, having gained the seat from Labour. In 2021, he defected from the SNP to the Alba Party, later winning the party's leadership election in 2025 and serving as leader until Alba's dissolution in March 2026. MacAskill writes commentary for Comment Central.