I was born in Greenock in the old Rankin Hospital in 1966. All my family live locally and I feel deeply privileged to have been elected as the first ever local person to represent Inverclyde. I have a rather different background to most MP’s.

I was educated at Gregorian University, Rome and the Franciscan Study Centre, Canterbury and from 1991 to 1994 I was a catholic priest — starting in Scotland and ending up in south London. But, I found that politics was becoming my first interest and felt that I wanted to work for the labour movement full-time.

From 1994–97 I worked as a Director of the Christian Socialist Movement and secretary for Labour’s socialist societies. Then for four years before becoming Greenock and Inverclyde’s MP I worked as researcher to Siobhain McDonagh MP and served as a councillor in the London Borough of Merton.

In 2001 I was elected as the MP for the constituency of Greenock and Inverclyde and in 2003 I became the Personal Private Secretary to the Pensions Minister. At the 2005 General Election I was fortunate enough to be returned as the MP for the new enlarged constituency of Inverclyde. I was then appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Scotland Office in 2005 and in 2007 I became the Minister of State at the same Department. In 2008 I resigned from my ministerial position and returned to the Backbenches.

General Election result, 5 May 2005

Inverclyde
Name	Party	Votes	%
David Cairns	Labour	18,318	50.7
Stuart McMillan	SNP	7,059	19.6
Douglas Herbison	Liberal Democrat	6,123	17.0
Gordon Fraser	Conservative	3,692	10.2
Davy Landels	Scottish Socialist	906	2.5
	Majority	11,259	31.2
	Turnout	36,098	60.9