Winner Luke sets out his priorities
Newly-elected Ochil and South Perthshire MP Luke Graham says making himself accessible to constituents is one of his top priorities.
Mr Graham was elected as one of 12 new Scottish Tory MPs in the early hours of Friday morning – winning with a majority of 3000 over nearest rival Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh of the SNP.
And he said:“We want local action with a national voice – and that’s how I intend to do the job. We need to make sure the MP is seen and accessible to everyone. The whole point of being an MP is so you can help empower other people – it’s not about your own prestige.”
The representative, who is a trained accountant, became a well-known political figure in the area after campaigning against Scottish independence before standing in the 2015 General Election – where he finished third.
However, after overseeing a 16,000 vote swing between the Conservatives and the SNP in the last two years, he is now ready to get to work.
He added:“Number one priority for the area is investment – both public and private – through the constituency. So that’s working with government and private enterprise – not just big companies, small companies too.
“We also want to see how we can help entrepreneurs right across Ochil and South Perthshire start their own businesses and help create opportunity within the patch, without pushing them towards a big city.”
Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Alexander Stewart reckons Mr Graham’s election victory highlights the fact that the Tories are making positive strides in the area.
He said:“This is a fantastic result – particularly in Clackmannanshire as this area has not been predominantly Conservative for a long time. We now have a regional MSP, an MP and five councillors and that’s a massive sea change of opinion in this area. People understand we are now relevant and can deal with some of the problems being faced in this area.
“It is up to myself, Luke and our council colleagues to work together as a team to benefit the communities of Ochil and South Perthshire, and Clackmannanshire. I relish the opportunity of working with Luke. He’s got lots of energy. He’s very enthusiastic.”
Former MP for the area Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, of the SNP, declined to speak to press after the declaration, but later tweeted:“Thanks for the kind messages and to my fantastic staff and campaign team.
“It’s been an honour to represent OSP [Ochil and South Perthshire] and I wish my successor well.”
Labour candidate Joanne Ross came in third place with 10,847 votes while Iliyan Stefanov of the Liberal Democrats came fourth with 1,742 votes.