Ousted MP’s bid to be SNP candidate
Race to replace Ms Cunningham
Jim Fairlie
The only SNP MP to lose their seat at the 2019 general election is looking for a return to frontline politics in Perthshire South and Kinross-shire.
Stephen Gethins has thrown his hat into the ring to take over from Roseanna Cunningham as the nationalist candidate for the Scottish Parliament next year.
Mr Gethins joins Ms Cunningham’s current aide Calum Smith, Strathmore councillor Fiona Sarwar and farmer Jim Fairlie in seeking to be the party’s candidate.
Whoever wins the nomination will be the overwhelming favourite to retain the seat for the SNP.
Mr Gethins, who attended Perth Academy as a youngster, is a former SNP foreign affairs and Europe spokesperson at Westminster, having been the first SNP politician to win the North East Fife seat in 2015.
He held on to the seat in 2017, but was ousted in December by the Liberal Democrat candidate Wendy Chamberlain.
Mr Gethins said: “The forthcoming parliamentary elections will be crucial to making the case for and delivering an independence referendum.
“The cost of remaining in an isolated and declining UK under the Tories is too much.
“Independence is normal, being a member of the EU is normal, and working with our neighbours and partners on an equal basis is normal.
“There is too much at stake at this election to sit it out and that is why I am seeking the candidacy.”
Calum Smith also launched his campaign last week.
He said that, after serving as a
Calum Smith press officer, campaign organiser and election agent, and having held branch office and been a council candidate, the time had come for him to “step into the foreground”.
He added: “Having been so involved in the history of SNP representation in this constituency, I very much want to be part of its future.
I have no illusions about the reality of being an MSP, I know what the job is about and I know how parliament works.
“I’m ready to get down to business from day one.”
Cllr Sarwar has made no secret of her desire to make the step from council to parliament.
She had originally been looking to stand in Stirling, but turned her attention on Perthshire South and Kinross-shire when Ms Cunningham announced her decision to stand down.
She previously said: “As a councillor at Perth and Kinross it has been a real privilege to listen to the community, liaise with council officers on their behalf and work for the betterment of us all in
Cllr Fiona Sarwar highlighting the very real challenges we are currently facing in Scotland.
“All of these skills have made me a strong communicator, someone who can at the same time see the big picture and analyse the detail and who knows what it’s like to face real life challenges like in-work poverty and rural transport.”
Perthshire farmer Jim Fairlie, a founding member of Farmers for Yes, said he was standing “to help deliver an independent Scotland” and said he had “never lost sight of the unique challenges we face in this country”.
But he said he would also focus on local issues: “The message that I am getting from members is that there are many local issues that need our attention.
“Whether it is from the impact of flooding, the distress of inadequate housing, the problems resulting from drug abuse, the threat to jobs due to COVID-19 or the recent widespread littering from fly tipping and dirty camping, I know that these are just some of the issues troubling people right now, and I am ready to address them as the local MSP.”