Tommy Sheppard was first elected as the SNP MP for Edinburgh East in 2015, being reelected in 2019 with a majority of 10,417.
The constituency of Edinburgh East contains a large part of the centre of Edinburgh before spreading out to the east of the city to include the communities of Meadowbank, Milton, Prestonfield, Southside and Tollcross. The deprived Craigmillar Estate is also found here. The University of Edinburgh is found within this seat, alongside Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, and the Scottish Parliament building itself at Holyrood. The seat was gained by the SNP from Labour in 2015.
Tommy Shepperd was born in 1959 in Coleraine, County Londonderry. He studied at the University of Aberdeen, graduating in politics and sociology in 1982.
Having worked full time as the Vice President of the National Union of Students, Shepherd moved to London. At the age of 27 he was elected as a Labour Councillor on Hackney Council in London between 1986 and 1992, and was deputy Leader of the Council. He stood for Labour in Bury St Edmunds in the 1992 General Election.
Moving to Scotland in 1993, he set up the Stand Comedy Clubs business in 1995. Shepperd describes the Labour Party under Tony Blair as having left him. He joined the SNP in 2014. He is an atheist and a humanist. Sheppard is also a republican who supports an elected head of state.
Tommy Sheppard is Vice Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups on Deafness; Dog Advisory Welfare; Electoral Reform; Humanist; International Freedom of Religion or Belief; the Night time economy; Australia and New Zealand; Canada; Commonwealth; Palestine.
Email: tommy.sheppard.mp@parliament.uk
Personal Website: https://www.tommysheppardmp.scot/
Twitter: twitter.com/TommySheppard
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TommySheppardSNP
