About Martin Docherty-Hughes MP
Personal Life
Martin was born in 1971 and raised by his parents Eleanor & Patrick, working from the age of 16, and joined the SNP in 1991 being elected as Scotland’s youngest Councillor to the then Clydebank District Council in 1992 at the age of 21.
Martin eventually returned to education graduating from GCFT now Glasgow Met with a HND in Business Administration in 1997, earning his Politics degree from University of Essex (the first member of his family to go to University) and in 2004 attended the Glasgow School of Art to undertake his Masters Degree.
On finishing his studies Martin came home to Clydebank and spent nearly a decade working for West Dunbartonshire Community and Volunteering Services (WDCVS), supporting and developing West Dunbartonshire’s community and volunteering organisations.
From sourcing community funding to delivering training and volunteering opportunities Martin’s work in West Dunbartonshire has given him first-hand knowledge of the issues facing the community he comes from and has worked in most of his adult life.
Political Career
Martin continued to be involved in the front-line of politics returning to local government as an SNP Councillor representing the Anderston & City ward of Glasgow City Council in 2012.
Until being elected to serve the communities of West Dunbartonshire in May 2015, Martin also worked as a policy officer at the national body for volunteering, Volunteer Scotland. He lives with his husband and two whippets in Glasgow.
Since 2015 Martin has been a member of the SNP Westminster Group Defence team and during the 2015-17 Parliament was a delegate to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and since the 2019 General Election has been re-appointed to the SNP Westminster Defence Team as well as being a member of the U.K. Parliament Defence Committee and is the SNP spokesperson at Westminster on Industries of the Future and Blockchain Technologies.
Martin is a member of the following All Party Parliamentary Groups:
- Ireland & Irish in Britain – Vice Chair
- Scottish Whisky Association – Treasurer
- Gypsy, Traveller and Roma – Co-Chair
- Russia – Vice Chair
- Occupational Health & Safety – Secretary
- Estonia – Co-chair
- Blockchain – Chair
- Young Carers & Young Adult Carers – Vice Chair
- Textiles & Fashion – Vice Chair