Nottingham Post

Thewliss to run for SNP leader at Westminste­r

-

SNP MP Alison Thewliss has announced she will throw her hat into the ring to be the party’s next Westminste­r leader.

Ms Thewliss announced the news on Twitter on Saturday evening, saying she would be a “clear contrast” to “two men shouting at each other across the dispatch box”.

She has been an MP for Glasgow Central since 2015 when she unseated current Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar.

Ms Thewliss wrote: “I’ve been working for independen­ce for over half my life. Scotland is closer to achieving that now now than ever before.

“The Westminste­r group needs a leader who can build on Ian Blackford’s achievemen­ts and demonstrat­e that independen­ce, far from being abstract, is the alternativ­e to Brexit, the cost-ofliving crisis and Tory austerity.”

Ms Thewliss said she had “no intention” of running, but now there is a vacancy, she believes she could do the job well and she has a “duty” to step up.

She is currently the party’s treasury spokespers­on.

Ms Thewliss hit out at Westminste­r culture saying she would be a “clear contrast” to Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak “shouting at each other” across the dispatch box.

The news comes after Ian Blackford announced he would not be restarting as Westminste­r leader at the party’s AGM next week amid speculatio­n of a coup by Aberdeen South MP Stephen Flynn.

 ?? ?? SNP MP Alison Thewliss
SNP MP Alison Thewliss

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom