Kirsten Oswald

Kirsten Oswald is one of several SNP “retreads” in the 2019 intake, having served as the area’s MP from 2015 to 2017. Born in Dundee, she read history at the University of Glasgow and has lived in East Renfrewshire since 2008. Before starting her political career, she was head of human resources at South Lanarkshire College for 12 years. Oswald first became involved with the SNP during the 2014 referendum In the 2015 SNP landslide, she unseated the then-Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy with a remarkable 24.3 per cent swing in one of the most high-profile events of election night. In parliament, she has served as the shadow SNP spokesperson for the armed forces and veterans. After being unseated by the Conservatives’ Paul Masterton at the following election, she became the chairman and business convenor of the SNP. In 2019, she was re-elected with a majority of 5,426. In 2020, she was appointed SNP deputy leader of the House of Commons. Oswald has been a member of APPGs for autism; animal welfare; British Muslims; loneliness; British Sikhs; women and work and the APPG against anti-Semitism.