Dave Doogan

Doogan was born on 4 March 1973 in Perth to Irish parents James and Anne (née Walsh) Doogan.[2]

Following his schooling in Perth, Doogan served as a civilian in the Royal Navy from 1989. An aircraft engineer, Doogan specialised in Sea King Search and Rescue Aircraft. Doogan worked, in turn, as a surveyor, team leader, supervisor, operations planning manager, Sea King and Lynx transmissions production manager and lastly, commercial manager.[3]

Doogan left his successful career in the Ministry of Defence in 2007 to pursue a career in politics, studying at the University of Dundee. Doogan graduated in 2011 with a First Class MA (Hons) in Politics and International Relations.[4]

From 2011 to 2016, Doogan worked in the office of the then Scottish Finance Secretary and Deputy First Minister, John Swinney MSP.

Doogan was elected to Perth and Kinross Council as a councillor for Perth City North in 2012, with the largest share of first preference votes in that ward.

Upon election, Doogan became Convenor of Housing and Health, having responsibility for council housing and social care. Doogan was also an ex officio member of the board of NHS Tayside.[5] He later identified achievements from this time as including the construction of a footbridge over the A9, the building of the £11m Tulloch Primary School, the renovation of Perth Crematorium and the conversion of a number of disused sites to council housing.[5]

Doogan served as chair of Perth and Kinross Integration Joint Board from 2015 to 2017.[5]

Doogan was reelected to PKC in 2017, the only of Perth City North’s four incumbents to be so. Additionally, he increased his share of the vote by 4.02%.

At the election Doogan became the leader of the SNP group on Perth and Kinross Council, and as such, Leader of the Opposition.[3]

While a councillor, Doogan variously sat on a number of committees, including the Environment and Infrastructure Committee, Licensing Board, Scrutiny Committee and the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.[5]

Doogan was also a member of the JD Fergusson Arts Awards Trust, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Perth City Development Board, Perth Common Good Fund and the Tayside Valuation Joint Board, among others.[5]

After his election to Parliament in December 2019 Doogan announced his intention to stand down as a councillor, with the timing of his resignation subject to the Chief Executive of PKC scheduling a by election.[6][3]

Doogan formally stood down as a councillor at a full council meeting in February 2020, stating that: "Representing Perth City North for eight years has been a tremendous honour for me … I am delighted now to represent the people of Angus at Westminster for as long as this is required, but I remain forever grateful for my years on this council and the role I have been granted in representing Perth City North."[5]

The Conservative then-Leader of the Council, Murray Lyle, noted that "He will be sadly missed by his constituents and has been a champion of causes. On a personal note, I have always found him to be professional and courteous - well almost always."[5]

The by election was legally bound to be held within 90 days from Doogan’s resignation however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the by election was not held until Thursday the 26th of November 2020. The SNP retained the seat vacated by Doogan with a majority of 38%.

Doogan in the House of Commons

The Early Parliamentary General Election Act 2019 received royal assent on 31 October 2019, calling the early 2019 general election to be held on 12 December. Doogan was selected as the SNP candidate for Angus — over Heather Anderson, who went on to become a Member of the European Parliament for four days.[7]

Polls initially suggested that the incumbent Conservative MP Kirstene Hair was to hold Angus,[8][9] however, Hair's lead lessened through the short campaign and Doogan ultimately won election to the House of Commons with a majority of 8.7%.[10] In his victory speech Doogan stated that "I declare my sincere thanks to the electors in Angus. This county has risen above a hollow narrative of division and privilege and today has chosen an SNP perspective of fairness and opportunity above all else."[11]

Doogan was sworn into Parliament on 18 December — swearing on the Jerusalem Bible —[12][13] and made his maiden speech on 21 January 2020, stating that "I will always seek to be constructive and courteous in transacting our business down here, but do not mistake that for submission or fondness for the status quo. I and my SNP colleagues are here to settle up, not settle down. We are here only to help to open the door to a progressive independent future for our country."[14]

Unusually, Doogan's first contribution in Parliament was a Question to the Prime Minister — then Boris Johnson.[15]

Doogan became the SNP Spokesperson for Agriculture and Rural Affairs on 7 January 2020, taking the SNP seat on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee. On 16 October 2020, he also became Spokesperson for Manufacturing.[16]

In January 2022, as part of a reshuffle, Doogan became SNP Spokesperson for Defence Procurement and took up the SNP seat on the Defence Select Committee.[16]

Following the 2022 SNP Westminster leadership election, the new leader, Stephen Flynn, promoted Doogan to the SNP frontbench as Spokesperson for Defence.[16]

In May 2023, Doogan stated that he had contacted the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) in order to repay a London congestion charge penalty claimed in error. Doogan later described the incident as "very difficult", as reporting had suggested that the claim related to a speeding fine and that IPSA had contacted Doogan to seek repayment, rather than Doogan contacting IPSA.[17] Doogan confirmed that he received a full apology from IPSA following the affair.[18]

In September 2023, Doogan was appointed the SNP's Energy Security and Net Zero Spokesperson, as part of preparations for the impending general election, in which the SNP leadership chose to focus on energy and the economy.[1]

Doogan married Gillian Kirk in 1999; they have a son and daughter.[3]

• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
• Dave Doogan on Twitter