Education
McCartney was educated at Lancaster Royal Grammar School.
McCartney was educated at Lancaster Royal Grammar School.
He went on to serve as an officer in the Royal Air Force for nine years, fulfilling tours in Las Vegas, Turkey and Iraq. After reaching the rank of Flight Lieutenant, he resigned his commission in 1997. After studying for a postgraduate diploma in broadcast journalism, McCartney worked as a reporter for British Broadcasting Corporation Radio Leeds, notably interviewing Northern Ireland Secretary Mo Mowlam in 1997.
From 1998 he worked as a presenter on Independent Television"s Calendar News.
McCartney stood as a Liberal Democrat candidate for the Pudsey ward of Leeds City Council in 2006. He was selected as the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for the Colne Valley in March 2007.
He stood in the 2010 general election taking the seat with a majority of 4,837. McCartney gave his maiden speech on 17 June 2010 in a debate on the economy, expressing his support for local rural Post Offices.
Among his interests in Parliament, he is a co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group.
In November 2010, William Hague appointed McCartney to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Parliamentary Assembly United Kingdom Delegation. McCartney served on the Transport Committee between 2013 and 2015
In the run up to the 2015 general election, McCartney took the unusual step of replying to a constituent who disagreed with the Coalition"s austerity plan with a letter recommending they backed the Green Party candidate instead. McCartney told the constituent he respected their differences of opinion but the Green Party candidate was "the only candidate who matches what you believe".
Labour accused him of trying to split the left wing vote, whilst McCartney said he often put constituents in touch with political rivals if he believed it could help.
55th United Kingdom Parliament. 56th United Kingdom Parliament]
He was one of the few Conservative members of Parliament who voted against an increase to the cap on University Tuition fees and supports the need for a referendum on the European Union.