Two new Scottish MPs elected on the same day as Andy Burnham have made their maiden speeches in the Commons.
Lara Bird, who won the Arbroath and Broughty Ferry seat with a majority of 5,278, said “your boots do not define you” as she promised to “always stand up for” young women in her constituency.
And Douglas Lumsden, who took Aberdeen South with a majority of 6,050, said First Minister John Swinney should “get off the fence and finally defend our oil and gas”.
The pair won by-elections earlier this month, triggered after the previous incumbents – Stephen Gethins and Stephen Flynn – took their seats in the Scottish Parliament.
On the same day, Labour former minister Mr Burnham won the Makerfield by-election in Greater Manchester.
He is treading a path into No 10, after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced his resignation.
Ms Bird, the Scottish National Party’s new MP, drew criticism on social media for the outfit she wore when she took the oath last week.
In a post liked almost 10,000 times, one X user labelled her “such an embarrassment” with “tattoos on show, knee-high boots, mini skirt”.
She told the Commons: “I am here to show young people in my community not to be afraid of the backlash or resistance that you might be met with, that if you believe in a better future for Scotland, for our home, whatever that belief might be, there is a place for you.
“That regardless of what you look like, how you sound, no matter what your background or your accent, that your voice is valid and your voice is important.
“It can be daunting but you should never be afraid to be who you are.
“That your hair, your tattoos, your clothes, or your boots do not define you.”
Turning to “young women in particular”, Ms Bird said: “You have my word that I will always stand up for you – I will lift you up.”
Ms Bird also told MPs that in 2014, as a 16-year-old, her “whole world focused around advocating for Scottish independence”.
She said she recently met a 16-year-old activist called Erin who was aged four when voters north of the border went to the polls and rejected Scottish independence by 55% to 44%.
“If the Secretary of State for Scotland (Douglas Alexander) is listening, that sounds like a generation to me,” Ms Bird said, referring to suggestions the independence referendum was a “once-in-a-generation” poll.
Mr Lumsden, who took Aberdeen South from the Conservatives, said: “The people of Aberdeen have had enough of the wilful destruction of the oil and gas industry, destruction of their jobs, and destruction of the local economy.
“This win is a clear mandate from the people of Aberdeen to the Labour Government here in Westminster and the SNP Government in Holyrood to act now to save our North Sea oil and gas industry.”
According to the UK Government, North Sea oil and gas production, including off the coast of Aberdeen, “is in natural decline, with a 72% reduction in production occurring between 1999 and 2023”.
And in its 2024 manifesto, the Labour Party vowed not to issue new licences to explore new oil and gas fields.
Instead, the party promised to manage oil and gas “in a way that does not jeopardise jobs”.
But the Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has previously vowed to “liberate Britain’s oil and gas industry”, including an end to the ban on new licences.
Mr Lumsden also said: “The divisive force of nationalism still seeks to set us apart but we on this side of the House know the enduring value of our United Kingdom.”
Read MoreShabana Mahmood tipped for chancellor as John Healey in frame for Home Office
In The Room | Andy Burnham wants to be Britain’s least powerful PM
Steve Reed backs Andy Burnham’s plans to ‘go further and faster’ on devolution
Politics latest: MoD must cut £11bn under Starmer’s defence investment plan
Number in DUP knew about claim over Donaldson behaviour to woman – Poots
Mahmood to make it harder for asylum seekers to bring modern slavery or family claims
