The son of a Berwickshire farmer and a former local teacher, John Lamont is a Borders man through and through. John was first elected to the Scottish Parliament in May 2007 when he won the Roxburgh & Berwickshire seat with a swing of 9.4% from the Liberal Democrats, when in Parliament he took the role of Justice Spokesman for the Scottish Conservative party.
In May 2011 John was re-elected by an even wider margin in the new seat of Ettrick, Roxburgh & Berwickshire with a majority of over 18% of the vote and now holds the position of Chief Whip for the party. John is an active campaigner in the Borders and travels thousands of miles each year to attend surgeries, visit schools and support local businesses. When John is not travelling he is mostly in his local office in Hawick dealing with constituents’ issues and concerns.
Before becoming an MSP John studied law at university before going to become a solicitor. John is also a fitness enthusiast and enjoys running, cycling and swimming and recently completed the New York marathon, along with several local triathlons.