Greens' Ross Greer becomes youngest MSP

Twenty-one-year-old Ross Greer has become the youngest ever MSP after being elected for the Scottish Green Party for West of Scotland region.

He was just 15 when he joined the party and has also served as a member of the Scottish Youth Parliament.

He also contested the East Dunbartonshire constituency in last May's general election.

He gained his new role as an MSP after being top of the Green list for the West of Scotland region.

• SNP in 'historic' win but no majority

• Tories beat Labour to be second party

• Greens push Lib Dems into fifth place

• Labour's Dugdale 'heartbroken' by result

• Tory Davidson takes seat from SNP

• Former Labour leader hopeful loses to Tories

• SNP wipes out Labour in Glasgow

In a post on the Scottish Young Greens website, he said: "I had always been an environmentalist since a young age.

"As my interest in politics grew, I began to realise that only the Scottish Green Party offered the practical solutions that I wanted, combining social justice and equality with sustainability and practical solutions to tackling climate change."

Mr Greer studied politics and psychology for a time at Strathclyde University but left in December 2012 to become Yes Scotland's communities co-ordinator for the independence referendum.

After the referendum the former Bearsden Academy student worked for the Scottish Greens on strategy development, and is the party's spokesman on Europe and external affairs.