Tommy is a Lanarkshire man - his mother was born in Shotts, his grandmother came from a Blantyre family, and he and his wife Eleanor have lived all their lives in Rutherglen. They have four grown up sons.

After leaving school, Tommy worked as a storeman at the Hoover factory in Cambuslang, and was a shop steward for the Amalgamated Engineering Union. He remains a member of Amicus.

Tommy has always played an active part in his community. He was chair of his local tenants’ association and community council before being elected as the first ever Co-operative Party Strathclyde Regional Councillor.

In 1987 he was elected to represent the former Rutherglen Constituency in Parliament, and was re-elected in 1992, 1997 and 2001.

On May 5th 2005 Tommy was elected as the first Member of Parliament for the new constituency of Rutherglen and Hamilton West.

Following Labour’s election win in 1997 Tommy was appointed as a government whip, a position he holds to this day.