Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
First candidate declared for potential by-election
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.
Mr Gray and Airdrie South councillor Paul Di Mascio are both seeking nomination from Airdrie’s SNP branch for the Scottish election, aiming to succeed Alex Neil as the town’s MSP.
Party rules would mean that if the current MP becomes the Holyrood candidate, he would need to resign from his Westminster role
And he would be likely to step down in March with both parliamentary elections in the constituency then taking place simultaneously on May 6.
Dr Stanley told the Advertiser: “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 it was 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 under-investment.
“I’d fight in Westminster to secure better funding for services where the SNP has failed and for regional investment in Airdrie where legacy parties haven’t bothered.”
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.
He describes the party as having a “family focused view on social issues while [ being] in favour of rebalancing of the UK economically through regional investment and fairer taxation, shifting the tax base towards the south of England”.