The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Generalelection2019 Constituency profiles GLENROTHES
The Glenrothes constituency has existed since 2005 and stretches from Methil in the east, to Cardenden in the south-west.
Labour held the seat for 10 years, before the SNP won it in 2015 with a large majority of 13,897 and almost 60% of the vote share.
Having once been dubbed “Labour’s safest seat”, the party has had to be content with second place after Peter Grant’s success although the whopping majority was slashed in 2017 to 3,267.
Like elsewhere in Fife, the swing of the vote share at the snap election in 2017 was not to Labour’s runner-up, but the thirdplaced Conservatives.
Labour and the SNP have tussled it out for control every election since 2005, which included a by-election in 2008.
Glenrothes itself is home to Fife Council’s headquarters and has often served as a bellwether for the public mood.
The area once formed part of the fabled “silicon glen”, with a number of technology and manufacturing companies based in the area.
With this in mind, we asked candidates what they would do to attract new companies and technology innovators to the constituency, as well as how they would develop connectivity to nearby cities and other parts of Fife.
The constituency is around 30 miles from both Dundee and Edinburgh and the recently resurrected Levenmouth railway is sure to bring a boost to commuters who travel to both and live in the constituency.
The Brexit Party has dropped listed candidate Victor Farrell – who will still appear on the ballot paper but as an independent – after homophobic and Islamophobic comments were discovered on the candidate’s Facebook page. We have a history of delivering in new technologies in Fife, and Glenrothes was built as a new town which attracted many foreign investors.
But we must learn the lessons from our past, most of these companies bailed out to use cheaper labour in eastern Europe and in Asia, after receiving massive grants from the UK Government.
Therefore, we will ensure that any government investment must include research and development, working in partnership with the Scottish Government, Fife Council, universities and colleges to stay ahead of the curve in innovative technologies.