King’s Student Elected to Parliament

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect that Bird is a part-time student studying remotely from Broughty Ferry.

Lara Bird – a PhD student at King’s College London – has been elected to Parliament after securing 41% of the vote as the SNP candidate in the Arbroath and Broughty Ferry by-election on Thursday, 18 June.

Her election victory marks the first known instance of a King’s student serving as a member of Parliament during their studies. Bird, 28, is a PhD candidate studying remotely from her home town of Broughty Ferry, Scotland. Reading International Law and Legal Studies in the Department of War Studies and the Dickson Poon School of Law, she is expected to graduate in 2028.

Standing as the Scottish National Party (SNP) candidate in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry – a Westminster constituency in Scotland – Bird secured 9,802 votes (41%) and a majority of 4,961, marking a five-fold increase since the 2024 general election.

The Conservative Party candidate, Jack Cruickshanks, came second with the 4,524 votes (19%). Turnout stood at just over 31%, a noticeable decrease since 2024. The Labour Party – which finished second in the seat in 2024 – placed fourth with 15% of the vote behind Reform UK’s 18%.

Bird has worked as a senior policy advisor in foreign affairs and defence for the SNP in Westminster since 2024. Before coming to King’s, she qualified as a barrister and gained bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Law from the University Sheffield and the London School of Economics respectively.

Bird is also a marathon runner and participated in the 2026 London Marathon to raise money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

In her victory speech on Friday 19 June, Bird stated that her constituents “rejected the politics of division and hate” and “have once again made it clear that our future lies with independence”. She further added that she is “ready to get to work, to fight for the people that live here and always listen.”

Speaking to Roar hours after her election, Bird described how she is “delighted about the outcome”, explaining that:

“To be elected is a huge privilege, but more importantly, it’s a responsibility, and a responsibility I will take seriously for everyone in the constituency… In a moment where the Westminster institution is embroiled in chaos and drama, I am proud to be taking the fight for independence right into its heart for my constituents.”

The by-election in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry was triggered by the election of former SNP MP Stephen Gethins to the Scottish Parliament, who resigned from Westminster on 14 May to assume his new office. Her campaign was overshadowed by the embezzlement scandal of former SNP Chief Executive Peter Murrell.

The SNP is a social democratic political party that campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom, commanding a parliamentary group of eight MPs and a minority government in Holyrood.

Bird was seen with Scottish First Minister John Swinney in the lead-up to the by-election, who told voters that the poll was about making sure that “Scotland’s future is in Scotland’s hands.”

Bird similarly advocated for “a fresh start with [Scottish] independence”, also attacking the current Labour government for rising energy bills during their time in office. In a later interview, she described the by-election result as a “complete collapse of trust in the Labour Party” in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, after Westminster’s governing party fell from second place to fourth in the constituency.

Parliamentary by-elections also took place elsewhere in Britain. In Makerfield, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham re-entered parliament as a Labour MP on 54% of the vote, having pledged to enter a potential leadership contest against the prime minister, in a by-election that may shift the direction of British politics.