Candidates are on the campaign trail

Campaigning for next month’s general election is now well under way across Perth and Kinross.

The candidates for both Perth and North Perthshire and Ochil and South Perthshire are now out canvassing voters and looking to garner as much support as they can before the election on Thursday, December 12.

Locally, Luke Graham will be looking to retain his Ochil and South Perthshire seat when voters go to the polls.

He is up against John Nicholson of the SNP, Liberal Democrat Iliyan Stefanov – who also stood for the party at the last General Election – and Labour candidate Lorna Robertson.

The Brexit Party announced it would not stand candidates in constituencies won by the Conservatives in 2017 earlier this week and the Scottish Green Party has not declared its hand in Ochil and South Perthshire.

However, the proenvironment party did say it would not contest the Perth and North Perthshire seat in the General Election in a statement issued on Monday.

In 2017, Mr Graham overturned a 10,000-strong majority held by the SNP’s Tasmina Ahmed Sheikh to take the seat.

He polled 22,469 votes — a 41 per cent share — with Ms Ahmed-Sheikh’s share pared back to 19,110 votes, or 35.3 per cent.

Labour’s Joanne Ross finished third on 10,847 votes, while Mr Stefanov was fourth – picking up an increased vote share with a 0.7 per cent swing after taking home 1742 votes.

On the campaign trail this week Mr Graham pledged to back a series of policies his party has put forward in an attempt to help veterans.

It follows a recent survey by the Royal British Legion which highlighted difficulties ex-service personnel can have finding work.

The survey said that ex-service personnel of working age were twice as likely to be unemployed than their civilian peers.

In response, the Conservatives have pledged private businesses would be given one year free of National Insurance contributions for each veteran they hire.

Those who have served their country would also be given an interview for any role they applied for in the public sector and an increase in the availability of childcare to take into account longer working hours.

A veterans’railcard has also been pledged, which would reduce fares by a third.

In Perth and Kinross there are 1351 veterans in receipt of armed forces pensions and compensations.

Mr Graham said:“These policy proposals are things I would be proud to support in the House of Commons if I am re- elected as the MP for Ochil and South Perthshire.

“Veterans have made great sacrifices for our country, and it is our duty to support them as they transition back to civilian life.”

The final deadline for candidates to finalise their entries for the campaign is Thursday this week.