Hansard

Thank you, Presiding Officer, for giving me the opportunity to make my first speech.

Being elected as the member of the Scottish Parliament for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse is one of the biggest honours of my life. I will start my speech by paying tribute to my predecessor, Christina McKelvie. While chapping doors during the election campaign, I spoke to many people across our community and, as members might expect, I heard plenty of different views on the various political parties and the characters within them. However, regardless of where I went or who I spoke to, I heard genuine warmth and affection for Christina. She was a passionate MSP and a friend to many across the chamber. She served my community with distinction and will always be fondly remembered. [Applause.]

On the campaign trail, I had hundreds of conversations with people across my community, and education was one of the big issues that came up time and again. I heard from parents, teachers and even grandparents who were worried about the state of our schools and who feared that the next generation was being deprived of the opportunities that previous generations had.

Scotland’s education system was once the envy of the world. An old friend of mine, Len Murray, a former lawyer who passed away a few years ago, said something during an immortal memory that stuck with me. He said that, in the years

“of the great Scottish Enlightenment … in the ... 18th century … Scotland produced more men of letters, more men of learning and more men of science than did any other nation on earth.”

That was as good as it got. Scotland maintained its high standing in the world for education right into this century. However, on the SNP’s watch, standards have been plummeting, attainment is declining, violence is rising in our classrooms and kids’ backgrounds are holding them back from reaching their potential, because of the SNP’s failure to close the attainment gap. Trust in our education system is on the floor after the SQA’s shameful attempt to downgrade the results of working-class pupils during the pandemic—a move that was signed off by John Swinney, who is now First Minister.

The SNP needs to give itself a shake and ask itself, where did it all go wrong? On its watch, education has been—and still is—a shambles. The educational bus has no engine, no steering wheel and an extremely poor driver who has lost his way.

A new direction is desperately needed to deliver the education system that young Scots deserve, but the SNP is just rebranding its failing institutions. We cannot tackle tomorrow’s challenges with today’s complacency.

A good education is a key driver of efforts to reduce child poverty. The status quo is not good enough, and I cannot sign off on more of the same, so I will vote against the bill. The SNP has wasted an opportunity to do right by Scotland’s young people. Building a better future for the next generation is one of the most important missions of any Government. That starts with education, because education is not just about exams; it is about equipping young people with the confidence, curiosity and character to thrive in this world.

I was born in Quarter, which is near Hamilton. I still live there today. I started my career as a roads apprentice in Hamilton before working my way up to director level. Until the by-election, I had the honour of representing His Majesty as a deputy lord lieutenant of Lanarkshire.

My life has been spent serving my community, but throughout my life I did not expect to become a politician. However, I knew that the opportunity to be Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse’s voice in the Scottish Parliament would be the best way that I could serve my community again.

Mine is a story not of privilege but of standard education through the two good schools that I went to. Perseverance, hard work and further education—that is the spirit that I bring to the chamber.

As I said on the night that I was elected, the only thing greater than being elected as my community’s MSP was the feeling when my grandson was born, which was 10 weeks ago, on the night that I started my political journey. Holding him in my arms reminded me of exactly what is at stake here. It is not just about policy or politics—we can get by without that—but about the kind of Scotland that we want to pass on to our children and grandchildren. I entered the Scottish Parliament not with the answers but with a deep-rooted belief in public service, a commitment to listening and an unshakeable resolve to stand up for the people who sent me here.

To the people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, I thank you for putting your trust in me, and I will work every day to earn it. My promise to you is simple: I will be your voice in the chamber, and I will never stop fighting for a better, fairer and more hopeful future for us all. [Applause.]