Who Sits Behind Ian Blackford in Parliament?

Ian Blackford is the Leader of the Scottish National Party Parliamentary Group.

The person who sits behind Ian Blackford in Parliament is the deputy leader of the Scottish National Party Parliamentary Group Kirsten Oswald.

Kirsten Frances Oswald is a Scottish National Party politician serving as the SNP Deputy Westminster Leader since 2020.

First elected as the Member of Parliament for East Renfrewshire in 2015, she was unseated at the 2017 snap election but subsequently re-elected at the 2019 election.

Oswald was born in Dundee to Helen and Ed Oswald. Her mother Helen, was Provost of Angus Council. She grew up in Carnoustie where she attended Carnoustie High School. She studied history at the University of Glasgow graduating with an MA(Hons) in 2005.

Oswald became active in the Scottish National Party during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, serving on the committee of her local Women for Independence group where she was responsible for local food bank collections.

On 30 January 2015, it was announced that Oswald was selected as the SNP candidate for the East Renfrewshire constituency at the 2015 general election. During her campaign, she was criticised for sending letters to Conservative voters asking for their support to beat Labour.