Chris Kane is the Labour Party MP for the constituency of Stirling and Strathallan, having first been elected to parliament at the 2024 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Kane received 16,856 votes (33.9%). The Scottish National Party (SNP) candidate, Alyn Smith, received 15,462 votes (31.1%), while the Conservative candidate, Neil Benny, secured 9,469 votes (19.0%). Kane was duly elected with a majority of 1,394.

The Stirling and Strathallan constituency was created for the 2024 election, largely replacing the former Stirling seat.

The predecessor Stirling seat was held by the SNP from 2015 to 2017 and from 2019 to 2024 (Steven Paterson, then Alyn Smith). Stephen Kerr represented the seat for the Conservative Party from 2017 to 2019.

Michael Forsyth, who served as secretary of state for Scotland under John Major, represented the seat for the Conservatives from 1983-1997.

Historically something of a three-way marginal, the last incumbent MP to successfully defend the seat was Labour’s Anne McGuire at the 2010 general election.

Political Career

Kane served as a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) in the Ministry of Defence from June to July 2026. A PPS acts as an unpaid parliamentary assistant, providing a link between the senior frontbencher and backbench MPs.

Kane’s appointment followed the resignation of Pamela Nash and Rachel Hopkins as defence PPSs. Their resignations came after John Healey stepped down as defence secretary over a dispute regarding military spending and the defence investment plan (DIP) specifically.

Kane left government following the 2026 Labour leadership contest and Andy Burnham’s elevation as prime minister.

Kane is a member of the House of Commons public accounts committee (since October 2024). The PAC is the oldest and arguably one of the most powerful select committees in the House of Commons. Its primary function is to scrutinise the value for money of public spending, ensuring taxpayers’ money is spent wisely. First established in 1857, the committee does not examine the merits of government policy, only the cost and effectiveness of its implementation.

In May 2026, Kane was among the over 100 Labour MPs who signed a joint statement insisting it was “no time for a leadership contest.” The letter was an intervention in the political crisis engulfing Keir Starmer’s premiership, after Labour suffered heavy losses in the 2026 local elections and devolved elections to the Scottish Parliament and Senedd Cymru. It was organised as a counterweight to a mounting rebellion that had seen high-profile figures, including some ministers, call for Starmer’s resignation.

The statement read: “Last week we had a devastatingly tough set of election results. It shows we have a hard job ahead to win back trust from the electorate.

“That job needs to start today – with all of us working together to deliver the change the country needs.

“We must focus on that. This is no time for a leadership contest.”

Kane is listed as chair of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for media.

Kane delivered his maiden speech on 11 November during a debate on rural affairs.

In it, he referenced his constituency’s storied political history.

He said: “I follow in the footsteps of a daunting list of constituency representation that includes one prime minister, the father of a prime minister, two secretaries of state for Scotland, a secretary of state for war, a father of the House of Commons and a leader of the House of Lords.

“In my lifetime, we have had Harry Ewing, the godfather of devolution; Michael Forsyth, who brought the Stone of Destiny back to Scotland; and Dame Anne McGuire, who as minister for disabled people signed the first human rights charter of the 21st century on behalf of the United Kingdom at the United Nations.”

Kane also spoke of “the coalfields of central Scotland” and the death of his great-grandfather in a mining accident.

He said: “My great-grandfather, William Kane, was a miner, and while working at the coalface in 1914, a large rock dislodged from the ceiling and crushed him. William died from his injuries. His son, my grandfather Frank, was 12 years old, and had to leave school to earn money – not to take the family out of poverty, but to keep them alive.”

He added: “There is still much to do to deliver dignity and fair play, which is why I am proud that this government are raising the national living wage and, through the Employment Rights Bill, will update the UK’s outdated employment laws and turn the page on an economy blighted by insecurity, poor productivity and low pay.”

In an interview with Holyrood magazine published during the 2024 general election campaign, Kane commented: “I like public policy and taking on problems such as eliminating child poverty, and these are big meaty subjects that if politicians get right, they can make a big difference in.”

Before entering parliament, Kane was elected as a Labour councillor on Stirling Council from May 2017. He served as deputy leader (2021-2022) and leader of the council (2022-2024), before standing down in 2024.

Kane previously stood unsuccessfully as the Labour candidate for Stirling in the 2017 general election, finishing third on 10,902 votes (22.1%).

Political views

Leadership elections

Labour deputy leadership 2025: Kane was one of 117 Labour MPs who nominated Lucy Powell for the party’s deputy leadership in September 2025. The election followed the resignation of Angela Rayner, who stepped down as deputy prime minister and deputy party leader after an investigation into her tax affairs. It marked the first time since 2007 that Labour had held a deputy leadership contest while in government.

Powell, the former leader of the House of Commons, was seen as a candidate representing the party’s “soft left”; she was supported by leading soft left figures including Ed Miliband and Andy Burnham. She secured 117 nominations from the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), above the 80 required, and went on to win the election – defeating Bridget Phillipson with 54.3% of the vote.

Factional identity and party tradition

Living Standards Coalition: Kane is a member of the Living Standards Coalition. Established in July 2025, the group’s stated aim was to develop and promote policy ideas that directly reduce everyday costs for households, particularly in areas such as food, energy, housing and childcare. In an open letter published upon its founding, addressed to Keir Starmer, the MPs wrote: “Our constituents will ask one question at the next election: did this Labour government make me better off?”

They added: “To raise living standards, we support government interventions that will help to increase incomes and lower costs.”

Welfare

Welfare vote (July 2025): Kane voted in favour of the government’s flagship welfare bill at second reading. The vote came after ministers agreed to significant concessions to avoid defeat via a mass rebellion of Labour MPs on 1 July 2025.

Assisted dying

Kane voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, better known as the assisted dying bill, at second reading (November 2024) and third reading (June 2025).

Social values and conscience issues

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Kane voted in favour of a backbench amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that sought to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales in June 2025. The amendment, which was passed by a majority of 242 votes, removed women from the threat of prosecution for ending a pregnancy at any stage. As an issue of conscience, MPs were allowed to vote according to their personal beliefs.

Palestine

Palestinian recognition letter (July 2025): In July 2025, Kane was among the over 254 MPs to sign a cross-party letter calling for the government to immediately recognise the state of Palestine. The letter called on the prime minister and foreign secretary to recognise Palestine at the UN Conference then taking place in New York.

Before Politics

Kane was born in Stirling in August 1976. He attended Stirling High School and later Stirling University.

His first job was helping in his father’s electrical shop in Stirling. He subsequently worked for many years as a full-time broadcaster and journalist with Scottish radio stations and local newspapers.

In the aforementioned Holyrood interview, Kane said: “In 1992 I did my first all-night radio broadcast covering the count for the Stirling constituency, but I avoided party politics because I thought it was the right thing to do as a journalist.”

More recently, he worked as a marketing and communications consultant, creating digital content for businesses and organisations.

Personal Life

Kane lives in Stirling with his wife, Anne. They have two children.

Trivia

Kane established a community garden project which was named “best community space in the UK” by the Society of Garden Designers in 2015.

He likes Star Trek, malt whisky and refers to himself as a “bit of a geek”.