Campaigners slam ‘callous’ Blackford
MP Ian Blackford has been accused of orchestrating a ‘callous’ and ‘disingenuous’ attempt to ‘rewrite history’ by supporters of the late Charles Kennedy.
The Lochaber MP has attracted criticism from campaigners who worked closely with Mr Kennedy after a recent interview with a national newspaper in which the SNP politician said he was ‘proud of the way’ that he conducted the general election campaign in 2015.
In the interview, Mr Blackford was asked about his defeat of Mr Kennedy and the relationship between the two candidates during the campaign. In particular, he was asked about claims that he had stormed into the Liberal Democrat campaign office and acted aggressively towards staff.
The SNP Westminster leader said in the interview that ‘wasn’t the case’.
He said he visited the office to shake hands with Mr Kennedy after a public meeting the night before and there was ‘absolutely no issue’ between the two.
Mr Kennedy, who served the Lochaber constituency for 32 years, died less than a month after his election defeat in his home in Fort William, on June 1, 2015.
In the interview Mr Blackford went on to say that he did not enjoy the election campaign against him run by Mr Kennedy’s team, which he said was ‘pretty nasty’.
Now however, former campaign manager for Mr Kennedy, Candy Piercy, who was a senior member of his 2015 campaign team, has criticised Mr Blackford’s recent comments.
‘In the past weeks, we have seen politicians from across the spectrum defend Charles Kennedy,’ Mrs Piercy told the Lochaber Times.
‘His reputation as a kind, helpful and honourable man is known throughout his constituency and the country.
‘The 2015 election is in the past, but people in the Highlands, in Scotland and across the UK remember what really happened.
‘Mr Blackford’s recent orchestrated attempt to rewrite history is both callous and disingenuous.
‘It will no doubt make many of Mr Blackford’s constituents question his motives and think long and hard about trusting him in the future.’
Several high-profile campaigners and politicians, such as former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell and former Labour minister Brian Wilson, have also condemned Mr Blackford’s comments, accusing him of altering the facts of the 2015 election campaign.
Mr Blackford was contacted by the Lochaber Times in relation to this matter but was unavailable for comment before going to press.