Prior to being elected as an MP, McPartland was the Director of Membership for British American Business (the US Chamber of Commerce), based in London.

[4] McPartland won the parliamentary seat of Stevenage at the 2010 general election, with a swing of 8% after the sitting Labour MP Barbara Follett stood down.

[21] He has been an outspoken critic of his own party in Government at times and successfully campaigned to improve Building Safety nationally, the McPartland-Smith amendments were supported by leaseholders and cladding groups.

[26] In January 2023 he was the only Conservative MP to vote against the Government on the Second Reading of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, describing it as "shameful" and an attack on individual trade union members.

[29] McPartland was a Trustee of The Living Room Charity, which offers a wide range of free addiction treatment services, and a Patron of the Turn the Tide Archived 3 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine project.

[30] McPartland lives in Stevenage with his wife, Emma, who was a Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator (SENCo) at a local primary school and provides expert advice at tribunals.