THE SNP's youngest candidate standing in the General Election was first inspired to get involved in politics through the grassroots movement.

Meet Ross Clark, a current councillor on South Lanarkshire Council. At 23 years old, Clark is hoping to bring a breath of fresh air into Westminster, where only 21 MPs were under 30 in the last Parliament.

(Image: Ross Clark)

Clark is a keen activist within the Young Scots for Independence (YSI), the youth wing of the SNP. Having first joined the party in 2018, Clark has quickly risen through the ranks - with help from The National.

"It was the SNP Spring Conference in Edinburgh in 2019, and the YSI were asking for volunteers to hand out copies of The National," Clark said.

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"So I volunteered myself, and that was my first interaction with them."

Since then, Clark has become the YSI's convenor for the Central Scotland region, and is now standing for election in Hamilton and Clyde Valley.

"The first time I started getting interested in politics was during the 2014 referendum," Clark continued.

"Ever since then, it's kind of spiralled into this.

(Image: Ross Clark)

The strength of feeling around the referendum is partly why Clark is inspired to stand for election.

"The Westminster status quo doesn't work, and it's been shown not to work over many years," he said.

But it's also about more than that - for Clark, it's about having young people represented in Westminster.

"I think it's a good thing that we have fresh faces in there, standing up for everyone.

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"But the crux of the matter is that politics and politicians need to be representative of the people they represent.

"That can only happen with young people at the decision-making table."

Clark makes a point; just 3% of the last Westminster intake was under 30, yet this demographic makes up a much larger proportion of British society.

Being in the YSI has exposed Clark to the issues young people are facing in Scotland today.

"We need people who understand the issues people face and who care about the areas they represent, which I absolutely do.

"I grew up in Hamilton and Clyde Valley, I've lived here all my life."

But what exactly do young people care about?

"Climate change and independence are popular among young voters," Clark said.

"But there are lots of other issues young people care about - housing is a big thing, and the cost of living."

'My comfort doesn't matter'

Being the youngest candidate for the SNP, Clark is following in the footsteps of the likes of Mhairi Black, who was first elected at 20 years old.

"I've got a lot to live up to in that regard, there's some big boots to fill," Clark said.

"But I'm certainly my own person, and I've got a lot of support to lean on.

"Most people don't use my age as a reason not to vote for me - I've actually had one or two people say they're going to vote for me because I'm young, or energetic."

Black, who was the party's deputy leader in the Commons, is stepping down at this General Election, claiming that Westminster was a "toxic workplace".

Is Clark worried he'll have the same experience?

"I know nothing can 100% prepare you for it, and I'm certainly not looking forward to being in the atmosphere of Westminster, but my comfort doesn't really matter.

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"I'm focused and determined on being a strong representative no matter the toxic environment, which Westminster is.

"We need people who can stand out in that and not be sucked into the toxicity and corruption of it all.

"We need people who have strong voices, and I hope to be one of them."