New SNP MP Bird vows to ‘serve the people’ after Commons oath row

Bird was also asked about this on the Matt Chorley show.

With a hint of sarcasm she said that she was “flattered” by the level of interest in her voice in the same week that the prime minister announced his resignation.

She told the programme: “You know, my mum’s English, my dad’s Scottish.

“I grew up in Angus, outside of Kirriemuir. But I lived in London for a few years and picked up a bit of an accent.

“And, you, know, that comes out a wee bit stronger when I’m in England and the Scottish accent comes up a wee bit stronger, when I am back home.”

Even before her election victory, Bird was drawing comment online over her family background, her education, how she dresses and the fact that she doesn’t use her full legal name – Pyla Lara Bird-Leakey.

This was something she addressed in an interview with the Courier newspaper, external.

She explained: “My parents got divorced when I was very young and they weren’t married when I was born, which is why I ended up having both names.

“My mum was Leakey and I had quite a difficult relationship with her and it was quite a difficult divorce – so even though my legal name is Bird-Leakey, that’s not a name I’ve ever used really.”

For what it’s worth, having dealt with Bird in a previous role as an SNP press officer, she sounds the same now as she did then.

The MP herself says she looks forward to dealing with questions about politics, rather than pronunciation.