My Story

My name is Paul McGarry. I’m a father of four, a foster carer, a community advocate, and a lifelong campaigner for fairness and opportunity.

I live in East Dunbartonshire with my wife and children. I work as a Senior Business Development Manager at a national training provider, helping organisations across the UK improve health, safety, and wellbeing. But my story — and the reason I’m in politics — started long before that.

I grew up in a single-parent family on one of Cornwall’s most deprived estates. Life wasn’t easy. We relied on benefits, and at times my family was involved in the care system. When I was 16, I became homeless. That experience shaped me — it showed me how fragile security can be, how easily people can fall through the cracks, and how vital it is to have someone who believes in you.

At 18, I was offered a place on a youth work apprenticeship in Scotland. I moved to Paisley and began working with young people in Shortroods and Ferguslie Park. I spent the next several years working in youth projects across the West of Scotland — in Barrhead, Port Glasgow, Dumbarton, and Ayrshire. I even ran kids’ clubs in caravan parks during summer holidays.

Eventually, as funding for youth work declined, I transitioned into business, taking up roles in media and sales with organisations like Radio Clyde and Clyde Broadcast. My focus shifted, but my values didn’t. I continued volunteering as a youth worker and remained deeply involved in community life.

My political journey started when I began challenging funding cuts for local youth services. I joined the Liberal Democrats because I saw a party that spoke up for people like me — people who had been left behind by the system but hadn’t given up.

Since then, I’ve dedicated myself to making politics more inclusive, accessible, and real. I’ve stood in elections across the West of Scotland, often in non-target seats, and always increased our vote. I was proud to serve as the agent for Susan Murray MP in Mid Dunbartonshire — helping to secure a majority of over 9,600 in 2024.

In Parliament, I’ve worked on policies that reflect my own experiences, on housing, homelessness, asylum, and youth opportunity. I’ve chaired conferences, pioneered reforms in how we engage members, and led by example, not by privilege.

I’m not your typical politician — and I think that’s exactly what we need.

I bring with me a deep understanding of life’s challenges and a proven ability to lead, organise, and deliver. I believe that everyone deserves the chance to be heard, and that our politics is richer when it includes people from all walks of life.

Above all, I believe in service. And if elected, that’s what I’ll offer to the people of the West of Scotland — service rooted in lived experience, and focused on practical results.