Scotland's only barber-turned-MP reckons the country's hairdressers are well-prepared for their long-awaited reopening next month.
John McNally, who put down his scissors in 2015 after winning the Falkirk constituency for the SNP, said there would be huge demand from Scots desperate for their first professional haircut in over three months.
Nicola Sturgeon announced yesterday that hairdressing salons and barbers could get back to work on July 15 as the country slowly emerges from lockdown.
McNally sold his long-running barber's shop in Denny, Stirlingshire, last year but has given haircuts to family members during lockdown - as well as offering tutorials to friends on Zoom.
"From speaking to people in the industry across the UK, I think the sector is extremely resilient and very well-prepared," he told the Record.
"I'm delighted the First Minister has given the go-ahead."
McNally is a voice for the industry in parliament and speaks to many hairdressers across the country, offering practical advice on how to prepare for reopening.
"One of the things I have been mentioning to barbers is to check their premises for signs of legionaries diseases - if taps have not been run in months there may be stagnant water lying about," he added.
"It's important to have adequate supplies of gloves and masks, but you have to make sure the water in your premises has been checked."
McNally first cut hair for a living in Denny in 1965 before moving to London in the 1970s where he worked alongside such industry legends as Vidal Sassoon.
"I went down to learn the latest techniques and methods being used," he added. "Vidal Sassoon was a world leader back then and still is today. I also worked at Toni&Guy in Great Ormond Street for a while."
But it was while running his own business in Denny's Stirling Street that he first considered standing for election.
"Working as a barber, it's so easy to get involved with the local community," he said. "I had absolutely no ambition to become a politician.
"It was my mother that was my inspiration. She wanted to change the world from her own little corner, and I've kept that in mind ever since."
