.. but rival Ian Duncan claims even

city centre of f ice. The nearby housing schemes are vital to his chances of victory.

He needs those urban voters to turn out in force to counteract the swing to the Tories in the small towns and villages that make up the rest of the sprawling constituency.

I spoke to a dozen voters in the village of Scone and all but three of them were Conservative supporters.

A Tory activist in Blairgowrie joked he’s praying for torrential rain localised over Perth on June 8.

Wishart has been embedded in the community for 16 years and hopes his high public profile and ha rd- won reputat ion as a conscientious MP will get him over the l ine in the face of strong headwinds.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been doing her best to help him out . She’s already visited the constituency twice since the general election was called five weeks ago and will launch the SNP manifesto in Perth on Tuesday.

When I visit, the local papers are plastered with pictures of the SNP pair campaigning together.

In contrast, Tory candidate Ian Duncan does not merit a single mention. Wishart believes this could be his trump card.

He said: “Ian’s problem is that because it is a snap election they haven’t had the time to design a back story or a profile for him.

“It has to be said that very few people know who he is when you are going around the doors.”

Duncan may not have Wishart’s local profile but he actually does have a great back story.

Born and raised on an Alyth council estate, he is far from a typical Tory toff. His father was a mechanic and his mother worked in a shoe shop before becoming a cleaner in the local school. He said: “I would never have thought of myself as poor. But we certainly weren’t rich.” E lected to the European Parliament in 2014, he also has plenty of political experience and an easy rapport with voters. Crucially, he believes his opponent’s higher public profile will prove to be a mixed blessing. Whilst charming and sel f- ef facing in person, Wishart can be tribal and abrasive on social media. He’s been at the centre of numerous Twitter spats in recent years. His branding of No voters as “Nawbags”, for example, is u n l i kely to have endeared him to the local