I was born and brought up here, my family live here and I live in the constituency too. I did my public service overseas. It's the privilege of my life to represent the people of Central Ayrshire in Parliament.

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As British Trade Commissioner I led a team of over 200 people that delivered £4.5 billion of trade and investment deals for the UK and secured over 18,000 new jobs.

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With the Scottish Whisky Association, I secured a major reduction in whisky tariffs in India - resulting in more bottles sold and safeguarding jobs back here in Scotland.

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I've been at the forefront of the UK's shift to winning new green jobs. I negotiated directly with Tata, the top Indian investor in the UK, to win their £4 billion electric vehicle battery factory - and 5000 well paying jobs - for Britain.

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Coming from an ordinary working family in Irvine, thanks to great teachers, support from the council and the 1997 Labour Government, I've had extraordinary opportunities.

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Like many people in our community, my dad lost his job in the 80s. He then became a council bin-man. My mum started working in factories and ended up joining a local charity advocating for people with mental health issues.

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Although I have lived and worked around the world, Ayrshire has always been my home