Pete Wishart was first elected to Parliament in 2001. He was reelected for Perth and Wishart in 2019 with a majority of 7,550. He is the longest serving SNP MP at Westminster.
The constituency of Perth and North Perthshire is a relatively large rural seat in the middle of Scotland. Dominated by the River Tay, forests, and some smaller Scottish peaks, this seat includes the city of Perth itself, alongside the towns of Blair Atholl, Dunkeld and Birnam, Invergowrie, and Pitlochry. This is a relatively affluent area in which tourism, agriculture, and salmon fishing all play a part in the local economy. The boundaries of this seat were first constituted in their current form in 2005, and this seat has been held by the SNP ever since. This area thus supported the SNP long before their landslide year of 2015, albeit the Conservatives came within just 21 votes of winning here in 2017.
Wishart served as the SNP’s Shadow Spokesperson on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in September 2022, but resigned in December 2022 after Stephen Flynn became the SNP’s Westminster leader saying he was ‘bemused’ as to why Mr Flyn had sought a change. He was formerly the SNP’ Shadow Leader of the House of Commons at Westminster. He is also Chair of the Commons Scottish Affairs Committee.
Born in 1962, Pete Wishart was, for 15 years, a member of the internationally successful Scottish pop Groups, Big Country, and then Runrig. Wishart was the keyboard player for Runrig and has appeared on Top of the Pops. He has sold over a million records worldwide, and still performs in the Parliamentary rock band, MP4. He is a member of the Musicians Union.
Wishart has also served as a community worker and has been a Director of the Fast Forward charity that promotes healthy lifestyles for young people.
He has been a member of the Scotland Against Drugs Campaign Committee and has contributed to many national forums looking at the problem of drugs within Scottish society.
Pete Wishart is Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Groups on Intellectual Property; and Music. He is Deputy Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Beer Group. He is Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Groups on Ticket Abuse; and Writers.
Wishart lives in Perth and has one son.
Email: pete.wishart.mp@parliament.uk
Personal Website: http://www.petewishartmp.com/
Twitter: @petewishart
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/PeteWishartPerth
