Borders Conservative who fought the same Westminster seat four times between 2005 and 2017 before winning it on a 11,060 majority, dropped out of Liz Truss''s PPS role to vote against Boris Johnson in the June 2022 confidence vote, served as junior Scotland Minister under Sunak, and was dropped from the shadow cabinet three days into Kemi Badenoch''s leadership after endorsing Robert Jenrick. The 2024 majority was 6,599 over the SNP.

Born 1976; first class LLB at the University of Glasgow Law School. Solicitor at Freshfields in London then Brodies in Edinburgh. Lost Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk in 2005 with 28.8% and in 2010 with 33.8% to Michael Moore. Won the Holyrood seat of Roxburgh and Berwickshire in 2007, expanded as Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire in 2011. Scottish Conservative Chief Whip and Parliamentary Business Manager under Ruth Davidson. Convener of the Justice Committee for three weeks in March 2011 after Bill Aitken resigned. Lost the Westminster seat to the SNP''s Calum Kerr in 2015 by 328 votes, then regained it in 2017 on a 11,060 majority, one of the largest swings against the SNP in Scotland that night. Resigned the MSP seat on 4 May 2017 before the snap election; the row was about the cost and timing of the Holyrood by-election that followed.

PPS at the Foreign Office under Foreign Secretary Liz Truss from November 2021 to 6 June 2022, when he resigned to vote against Boris Johnson in the confidence vote, citing Partygate. Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Scotland Office under Sunak from 27 October 2022 to 5 July 2024, appointed when David Duguid was sacked. Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland in Sunak''s caretaker team from 8 July 2024 to 5 November 2024. Endorsed Robert Jenrick in the leadership contest; Badenoch dropped him from the shadow cabinet on the third day of her leadership. Returned to a junior procedural role as Shadow Deputy Leader of the House from 22 July 2025.

The 2011 Catholic schools row is the sharpest charge sheet item. As an MSP during the Offensive Behaviour at Football Bill debate, he described Catholic education in west central Scotland as "state sponsored conditioning of sectarian attitudes". The Bishop of Motherwell Joseph Devine publicly called the remarks "irresponsible, offensive and untenable". On gay rights and abortion he sits at the more socially conservative end of his parliamentary party, with TheyWorkForYou alignment scores around 33% on LGBT measures; he voted against extending same sex marriage to Northern Ireland in 2019.

Voted Remain in 2016 and described himself afterwards as "a democrat, who was disappointed with the EU Referendum result". Voted Aye on the Rwanda Bill at all stages. Voted No on the Leadbeater assisted dying bill at second reading on 29 November 2024. Pursued the US Section 232 tariff campaign on Scotch cashmere and whisky from late 2019 through to a partial lifting on cashmere, real and documented constituency work for Hawick mills and Borders knitwear. The career has length, four constituency contests, two parliaments, two cabinet bets that came in only once; the Borders seat is the steady asset.