Biography

Michael Moore was born in Northern Ireland in June 1965. His father was a Chaplain in the British Army and when he left the forces in 1970 the family moved to Wishaw.

Michael attended Strathallan School in Perthshire until the family moved to the Borders in 1981. At Jedburgh Grammar School he became involved in politics and joined the local Liberals. He worked on Archy Kirkwood MP's first campaign in the 1983 general election before going to Edinburgh University. Graduating in 1987 with an honours degree in politics and modern history, he went to work as a researcher for Archy in the House of Commons.

After a year at Westminster, Michael joined Coopers & Lybrand in Edinburgh where he qualified as a Scottish chartered accountant and obtained a wide range of business experience over the following few years.

Following Sir David Steel’s retirement from the House of Commons at the 1997 general election, Michael retained the Tweeddale, Ettrick & Lauderdale seat (expanded to include Penicuik) for the Liberal Democrats with a majority of 1,489 over Labour. In the 2001 general election, his majority increased to 5,157, again over Labour.

In line with the Scotland Act, which established the Scottish Parliament in 1999, the number of Scottish constituencies represented in the House of Commons was reduced from 72 to 59. Michael was elected as the Member of Parliament for the new seat of Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk with a majority of 5,901 over the Conservatives at the general election on 5 May 2005.