She was educated at Robert Gordon's College after winning a scholarship. Kirsty matriculated at the University of Aberdeen to read Medicine, but later left the course. She first entered politics when she was elected to Aberdeen City Council as an SNP councillor in the Hilton/Stockethill ward, in the Aberdeen North constituency in the 2007 Aberdeen City Council election topping the poll in her ward with 1,761 first preferences. Her brother, John West, was also elected for the Hazlehead/Ashley/Queens Cross ward at this time. She was re-elected in 2012 Aberdeen City Council election with 823 first preferences taking the second seat in the ward. She would become Convener of the SNP group in Aberdeen City Council at this time.
Parliamentary career
At the 2015 general election, she became the Member of Parliament for Aberdeen North. She succeeded Frank Doran, of the Labour Party, who had announced in October 2013 that he would stand down at the next general election. She won the seat with 24,793 votes, 13,396 more than the Labour Party candidate Richard Baker, and became SNP Spokespersonon the House of Lords. In April 2016, she drew attention to the plight of unaccompanied refugee children during a Commons debate. She was elected to the Scottish Affairs Committee in 2015. In July 2016, she spoke out on the importance of making Parliament more family-friendly after being censured by clerks for holding her sleeping two-year-old daughter in a committee hearing. She was the only SNP MP outside of Dundee to retain their seat in North East Scotland, formerly a nationalist stronghold, at the 2017 general election. Following the election, she became Deputy Leader of the SNPWestminster Group and SNP Westminster Spokesperson on the Economy. Blackman held the seat at the 2019 general election with a majority of 33.9%, the largest percentage majority in Scotland. In January 2019, she became the SNP Spokesperson for the Constitution at Westminster, a strategic role leading on the constitution in preparation for an independence referendum. In July 2020 Blackman announced that she would be stepping down as the deputy leader of the SNP Westminster Group. On the 7th of July it was announced that Kirsten Oswald was to be her successor.
