“It’s a complete maze”: west coast MP's take on Westminster

For Brendan, his return to Westminster has not exactly been business as usual given the amount of SNP colleagues that have lost their seats and he “spent a lot of time seeing and commiserating with those colleagues who were down to pack up their offices”. 

"It will take an awful lot of getting used to," said Brendan. "We are no longer the ’Third Party’ at Westminster, so all our speaking privileges have gone, as has our position on the front benches."

Following the King’s Speech, MPs will be keen to get stuck into the debate and start to tackle the issues affecting their constituencies.

At the top of Angus’ list is arranging a meeting with the Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray, to ask for his help with improving infrastructure in the Highlands.

He is also eager for politicians in the Highlands and elsewhere to “work cohesively across parties to agree shared goals” and said: “Kate Forbes our MSP has already reached out to me. I will be in touch with Brendan O’Hara from Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber, Torquil Crichton from Na h-Eileanan and other west coast politicians to see if we can work together on big west coast issues such as the ferries, the A82, the Belford Hospital replacement, depopulation and shortage of care beds.”

Having previously been the SNP spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, one of Brendan’s key focuses is the conflict in Gaza. “As I have done for the last 10 months, I will be supporting an immediate ceasefire and continue my calls to end UK arms sales to Israel,” he said.

The two-child benefit cap is also on his mind: “I will be listening very carefully to what the new Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has to say. In particular, whether he intends to lift the hideous two-child cap or not. It is an appalling piece of legislation which has pushed thousands of children into poverty.”