Ian swapped Parliament for the football pitch for a couple of hours this week, to help raise more than £30,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.
Ian was part of the UK Parliamentary Football Team who took on an all-star celebrity team -; including Omid Djalili, Angus Deayton, Dalton Grant and Kyran Bracken -; at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge ground.
The team of MPs -; which brings together politicians from across the political divide -; were beaten by the celebrities, 6-4.
But Ian says that despite the loss, they were all just pleased to have played a part in raising so much for the charity.
He said: “The Parliamentary Football team brings together MPs from all the main parties. And while we may have strong political differences in Parliament, we are united on the football pitch.
“Unfortunately we didn’t win the game at Stamford Bridge. But it was a fantastic opportunity to raise funds for such a worthwhile charity.
“Cystic Fibrosis is affects a significant number of people. And the Cystic Fibrosis Trust funds valuable work, both supporting people who live with Cystic Fibrosis and funding research.”
The annual football match is organised by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, which is the only UK charity dealing with all aspects of Cystic Fibrosis.
Other MPs taking part included East Renfrewshire MP Jim Murphy and Dumfries and Galloway MP Russell Brown.
Cystic Fibrosis is one of the UK’s most common life-threatening inherited diseases. Only half of those living with Cystic Fibrosis are likely to live past their late 30s.
Commenting on the match, a spokesperson for the CF Trust said: “It was a fantastic day and the MPs really gave our team a run for their money this year, at one point it looked like it might be a draw. We’ve raised over £30,000 from this event and are really grateful to everyone who played.”

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