Lennon to defend seat for Labour
Martin Lennon will defend the Rutherglen Central and North council seat for Labour in November.
The seat became vacant when Gerard Killen MP stood down to concentrate on his Westminster role.
Mr Lennon, from Rutherglen, stood in the multi-member ward earlier this year, but failed to gain election.
However, he is likely to have been buoyed by Mr Killen’s shock general election victory and by-election wins last week for Labour in Glasgow and North Lanarkshire.
The 27-year-old, who has recently completed a Diploma in legal practice at the University of Glasgow, paid tribute to previous Labour councillors in the ward.
He said:“I’m really proud to be selected as the Labour candidate and excited to start the campaign.
“My Labour predecessors in the ward – Ged Killen, Eddie McAvoy and Dennis McKenna – all had a huge impact on the community and they’ve left big shoes to fill.
“I want to focus on the political decisions that are impacting on the community in Rutherglen and make the argument that a bold, active and genuinely left-wing administration in South Lanarkshire could transform the lives of people in our community.
“We’ve seen from by-elections last week, and Gerard Killen’s victory in June, that Labour is back and winning with a positive agenda, and my team and I will work our hardest to elect me as another champion for our area.”
Other confirmed candidates are Ellen Bryson for the Lib Dems and Brian Finlay for the Scottish Greens.