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My first day in Parliament
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 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, and I was honoured when the Prime Minister appointed me as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland. Then in 2007, I became the Minister of State at the Scotland Office.

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