The Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition faced demands from Scottish National Party (SNP) politicians, including future First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, for Galbraith to resign after the SQA examinations controversy in 2000.

Galbraith was a respected neurosurgeon, who worked at Glasgow's Southern General Hospital.

On 20 March 2001 he announced his resignation from ministerial office and his parliamentary seats for health reasons.

[4] He was married in 1987 to Nicola Tennant, and they had three daughters, Mhairi, Heather and Fiona.

[5] From 2006 he was chairman of the Scottish Maritime Museum with facilities at Irvine, North Ayrshire and Dumbarton.