I’ve never visited, says Ukip hopeful
AS the hopeful MP for Perth and North Perthshire, John Myles might be expected to pound the streets of hi s prospective constituency.
But yesterday, the Ukip candidate admitted he has not even been to the central Scotland seat since being selected because he is fighting a council election in his home city of Peterborough, more than 300 miles away.
The revelation overshadowed Ukip’s chaotic Scots manifesto launch in Falkirk, Stirlingshire, yesterday – which Mr Myles also failed to attend.
In recent weeks t he party has threatened to strip money from Scotland in a bid to appease English voters, while Nigel Farage has written-off the party’s chances north of the Border as ‘remote’. Yesterday’s launch came three days before polls open and with postal votes already sent out. Incredibly, it also lacked copies of the Scottish manifesto.
Ukip chiefs blamed the Bank Holiday for delaying the paperwork and handed out the UK ver
sion instead, which does not
mention Scotland but does contain references to Spain and Italy.
Mr Myles, who lives in Audley Gate, Peterborough, admitted he did not put himself forward to take on the SNP’s Pete Wishart, who is defending the seat, and describes his links to Perth as ‘distant’. He said: ‘My great-grandfather was the procurator fiscal. The family later moved on to Forfar.
‘I’m hopeful that I will get a respectable number of votes in Perth. I’m more optimistic in the city council election in Peterborough because I’ve lived in this ward for about 40 years so I know a lot of people.’
He denied that his failure to campaign in the constituency was an insult to voters and added: ‘I don’t think it is at all disrespectful. I think it is only fair that if you’ve got somebody who wants to vote for Ukip, they can do so.
‘I have had a number of phone calls from people who do want to vote for Ukip in Perth and the North Perthshire area who seem quite pleased that there is a candidate. I have had quite positive feedback actually.’
Misty Thackeray, Ukip chairman in Scotland, attempted to play down his candidate’s absence. ‘Ukip candidates are ordinary people with full-time jobs. They cannot be at all of the hustings all of the time,’ he said.
‘In terms of candidates standing at two separate elections, that happens to all parties. You put your hat in the ring wherever you have a connection and a chance of winning.
‘We’re not a party with huge numbers, so we will stand as many candidates in as many places as we possibly can.’
Mr Thackeray also believes David Coburn, the Ukip MEP and party leader in Scotland, has a chance of winning in Falkirk. Karen Whitefield is hoping to regain the seat for Labour, but the SNP’s John McNally, who stood unsuccessfully in 2010, is the favourite to win.