Martin Docherty-Hughes was first elected as the SNP MP for West Dunbartonshire in 2015, being reelected in 2019 with a majority of 9,553.
The Dunbartonshire West covers the towns of Clydebank, Dumbarton, Alexandria. This was once one of the leading ship building areas in the country, notably on the Upper Clyde. Today unemployment in this seat is above the national average, and this is a notably less affluent constituency than Dunbartonshire East. It was a solid Labour voting area between 1945 and 2015, when it fell to the SNP landslide. The local council was regained by the Labour Party in May 2022.
Born in 1971, Martin Docherty-Hughes left school at sixteen and worked initially in a sweet factory in a unit in the old Singers site in his now constituency. His mother had died when he was just nine years old.
Docherty-Hughes later attended the University of Essex where he obtained a degree in Politics. He then worked in the voluntary sector at Volunteer Scotland. At Westminster he has been the SNP spokesperson on the voluntary sector.
He joined the SNP in 1991, and one year later was elected as Scotland’s youngest councillor to the-then Clydebank District Council where he served until 1996.
In 2012 he was elected to Glasgow City Council where he served until 2015.
Martin Docherty-Hughes is openly gay and has campaigned against homophobia. First elected as Martin Docherty in 2015, he changed his name to Martin Docherty-Hughes after getting married in 2016.
He is Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Blockchain, and serves as the SNP spokesperson on Industries of the Future and Blockchain Technologies.
He is the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Gypsies, Travellers and Roma, and the Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Groups on British Sikhs, Charities and Volunteering, on Global Security and Non-Proliferation, and Textiles and Fashion/
Email – martin.docherty.mp@parliament.uk
Personal Website: http://martindocherty.scot/
Twitter: @MartinJDocherty
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/MartinDochertySNP
