ONE of Scotland's most colourful MPs of the 1980s has published his memoirs at the age of 95.

Sir Albert McQuarrie earned the nickname the Buchan Bulldog as MP for East Aberdeenshire, Banff and Buchan for his staunch support for the Scottish fishing industry during his two terms at Westminster during the Thatcher era.

In A Lifetime of Memories and published by The Memoir Club, Sir Albert tells the story of how he rose from being an apprentice plumber to set up his own business after serving in the Second World War and later become a councillor in Gourock.

He first stood for Parliament in 1966 but did not win a seat until 1979, when he was one of 21 Scottish Conservative MPs elected as the Tories seized power under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

He won the previously SNP-held seat by 558 votes and retained it four years later before losing to a highly-rated young Nationalist called Alex Salmond in 1987. Sir Albert was responsible for introducing regulations improving safety on board fishing vessels.

In his foreword to the book, former Scottish Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind describes Sir Albert - now retired and living in Aberdeenshire - as a "splendid colleague".

Recalled his reputation as the Buchan Bulldog, he adds: "He was as happy with the title as Margaret Thatcher was with being known as the Iron Lady."