Meet Lothian's new MPs: Gregor Poynton, Labour MP for Livingston

New Livingston MP Gregor Poynton has held several posts in the Labour party and worked for Barack Obama's digital agency, planning campaigns for elections in India and France.

Born and brought up in Falkirk, he served as  campaigns and press officer for Labour MEP Catherine Stihler while still a student.

Gregor Poynton worked for Barack Obama's digital campaign agency | supplied

After graduating from Strathclyde University with a degree in politics, he went to work as a Scottish organiser for the Labour Party, helping with the 2005 general election, then the 2007 Scottish Parliament election campaign. He later moved to Labour Party headquarters in London, where he worked on electron strategy.

After Barack Obama won the 2008 US presidential election, Blue State Digital, the agency behind his digital campaigns, set up an office in the UK and approached Mr Poynton to join.

There, he worked on campaigns for progressive political parties in France at the French presidential election in 2012, when Socialist Francois Hollande won, and also for the Congress party  in India, spending four or  five months in Delhi working on its campaign strategy. He worked on campaigns for progressive causes and charities in the UK too,

Mr Poynton worked at Blue State Digital for five years until 2014 and ended up as UK political director. He then joined lobbying agency Portland, set up by ex-Labour advisers, before going to work for Jim Murphy when he was Scottish leader in 2015.

He returned to Portland, where he became a partner, worked for another consultancy and for the past two years he has been a partner in Headland Consultancy, working for top businesses.

Meet all the new Edinburgh and Lothian MPs