Parties name candidates for election

Several candidates for the 2019 general election have already been announced, with 15 named across South Lanarkshire.

Labour, Lib Dems, Conservatives and the SNP are all set to stand in each of the region’s four constituencies.

The four people elected in the previous parliamentary session – Labour’s Ged Killen, the SNP’S Angela Crawley and Dr Lisa Cameron and Conservative David Mundell – are all standing.

In 2017, Mr Killen was elected in Rutherglen and Hamilton West when he unseated the SNP’S Margaret Ferrier by 265 votes.

Ms Ferrier – who served as MP from 2015 to 2017 – is aiming to retake the seat for the SNP while Hamilton West and Earnock councillor Mark Mcgeever is standing for the Lib Dems.

Mr Mcgeever made headlines during the summer when he became the first Conservative councillor to defect to the Lib Dems following Boris Johnson’s selection as party leader.

Hamilton South councillor Lynne Nailon is standing for the Conservatives.

Lanark and Hamilton East saw a three-way fight in 2017, with Ms Crawley defeating Conservative candidate and Clydesdale West councillor Poppy Corbett by 266 votes and Labour’s Andrew Hilland not far behind.

Mr Hilland is set to stand again this year while Scottish Borders council leader Shona Haslam has been named as the Conservative candidate.

Jane Pickard is standing for the

Lib Dems.

Dr Cameron defends a majority of 3866 in East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow over Labour candidate and East Kilbride West councillor Monique Mcadams.

Ms Mcadams is representing

Labour again while Ewan Mcrobert is the Lib Dem candidate and Erica Young is standing for the Greens.

Gail Macgregor, councillor for Annandale North in Dumfries and Galloway, is the Conservative candidate.

Former Scottish Secretary David Mundell will be up against the SNP’S Amanda Burgauer, the Lib Dem’s John Ferry and Labour’s Nick Chisholm in Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale.

Parties and independent candidates have until 4pm on November 14 to lodge nomination papers in order to stand for the election on December 12.

Voters will then have a further 12 days to register to vote with the deadline at midnight on November 26.

The deadline for first time postal voters and those wishing to change proxy voting preferences is 5pm on the same day.