Member of Parliament (MP)

You would campaign to persuade people in a community to vote for you to be their representative. Once elected, you’d speak for them in debates about new laws and national and international issues.

You’d try to persuade other politicians to make laws to improve people’s lives. You’d try to help individual constituents with problems and issues.

There are different parliaments you could stand for:

• The Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh

• The House of Commons - part of the United Kingdom parliament – at Westminster in London

You’d speak in parliament and in public to put forward your constituency's interests and your own political beliefs. If you are elected as a member of a political party, you’d explain and defend its policies.

You would:

• Attend sessions in parliament

• Debate issues and raise questions in parliament

• Vote on new laws and policies

• Sit on committees and attend meetings and conferences

• Hold surgeries and advice sessions in your constituency

• Take up constituents’ issues and concerns

• Study reports and research on relevant issues

• Make speeches

• Give interviews to the media

• Campaign for your political party

With experience, you could hold a position of extra responsibility, such as being a government minister, Scottish cabinet secretary or party spokesperson.

• The Scottish Parliament - About the parliament, what MSPs do and how the Scottish parliamentary system works

• UK Parliament website - About the Houses of Commons and Lords and how the UK parliamentary system works