Dave Doogan

David Michael Doogan (born 4 March 1973) is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician who has served as the Leader of the Scottish National Party in the House of Commons since May 2026. Doogan was the SNP's Energy Security and Net Zero Spokesperson from September 2023 to July 2024, and has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Angus and Perthshire Glens previously Angus, since 2019.

Early life and career David Doogan was born on 4 March 1973 in Perth to Irish parents James and Anne ( Walsh) Doogan. Following his schooling in Perth, Doogan worked as an aircraft engineer for the Ministry of Defence specialising in Sea King Search and Rescue Aircraft.

He left his career in the Ministry of Defence in 2007 to pursue a career in politics, studying at the University of Dundee. Doogan graduated in 2011 with a first-class MA (Hons) in Politics and International Relations.

From 2011 to 2016, Doogan worked in the office of the then Scottish Finance Secretary and Deputy First Minister John Swinney.

Perth and Kinross Council (2012–2020) Doogan was elected to Perth and Kinross Council as a councillor for Perth City North ward in 2012, with the largest share of first preference votes in that ward. Upon election, Doogan became Convenor of Housing and Health, having responsibility for council housing and social care. Doogan was also an ex officio member of the board of NHS Tayside. He later identified achievements from this time as including the construction of a footbridge over the A9, the building of the £11m Tulloch Primary School, the renovation of Perth Crematorium and the conversion of a number of disused sites to council housing. At the election Doogan became the leader of the SNP group on Perth and Kinross Council, and as such, Leader of the Opposition. Doogan was sworn into Parliament on 18 December 2019, taking the oath on the Jerusalem Bible, and made his maiden speech on 21 January 2020. His first contribution in Parliament was a Question to the Prime Minister.

Spokesperson roles

Doogan became the SNP Spokesperson for Agriculture and Rural Affairs on 7 January 2020, taking the SNP seat on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee. On 16 October 2020, he also became Spokesperson for Manufacturing. In January 2022, as part of a reshuffle, Doogan became SNP Spokesperson for Defence Procurement and took up the SNP seat on the Defence Select Committee. Doogan confirmed that he received a full apology from IPSA following the incident.

In September 2023, Doogan was appointed the SNP's Energy Security and Net Zero Spokesperson. Due to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, Doogan's constituency of Angus was abolished, and replaced with Angus and Perthshire Glens. At the 2024 general election, Doogan was elected to Parliament as MP for Angus and Perthshire Glens with 40.4% of the vote and a majority of 4,870. On 16 June 2025, Doogan replaced Stephen Flynn on the Scottish Affairs Select Committee.

SNP Westminster leader

On 12 May 2026, following the resignation of Stephen Flynn, Doogan was elected as Leader of the Scottish National Party in the House of Commons. This was following Flynn's election in the 2026 Scottish Parliament election and his resignation as an MP.

Personal life Doogan married Gillian Kirk in 1999; they have a son and daughter. He is Catholic.