Candidate isdeclared

The first candidate has been declared for a potential Airdrie & Shotts Westminster by-election, six months before any vacancy might be created by the incumbent MP.

Jonathan Stanley is the prospective parliamentary candidate for the Scottish Unionists in any poll for the House of Commons seat – which could be required if current MP Neil Gray steps down in order to stand for the same seat at May’s election for the Scottish Parliament.

Should such a by-election take place, it would be held on the same day as the Holyrood poll; and would see Mr Stanley appearing on ballot papers for two different elections, as he is also on the Lothian region Holyrood list representing Alliance4Unity.

Dr Stanley said: “If Neil Gray is selected for the Scottish Parliament candidacy, he should just stand down right away to let a new person come in, so that Airdrie & Shotts can have a full-time MP representing people at UK level.

“We had a conversation in the party about going ahead – we fought an election in 2001 and got 4.5 per cent of the vote, and a lot has changed and the union is a much bigger issue now than then. The Tories are rudderless and Scottish Labour are adrift with quite a bit of pushback against Richard Leonard.

“There’s a lot of potential in places like Airdrie & Shotts and real issues with underinvestment.”

He added of standing in two elections on the same day: “I do not believe in double jobbing, and should I be initially elected to both chambers I would relinquish my Holyrood list place so the next candidate could take office.”

Airdrie’s Scottish Unionists candidate is a doctor, originally from St Helens and now living in Edinburgh, and has previously worked in Brussels for former European Parliament members Stephen Woolfe of UKIP and Brian Monteith of the Brexit Party.