I’ve faced prejudice for trying to be first black MSP (but only because I’m a Tory!)

THE man bidding to become Scotland’s first black MSP has talked about the prejudice he has to face – for being a Tory.

Ade Aibinu moved here from Nigeria to study pharmacology at Glasgow University in 2008, and decided to stay in the city.

Now he has a young family, including a baby daughter, and is taking the first steps to further his political career.

He is already a councillor in Glasgow and standing for Holyrood in Glasgow Anniesland, on the Conservative regional list.

He said: ‘I’ve not come into politics to be the first black person.

‘That is not my primary objective. I’m very conservative and economically right.

‘If it motivates people that can only be a good thing, but it’s an off-shoot of my main interests.

‘My objective is more based around impact, and how Scotland is being run by the SNP.

‘People say that Scotland is a Left-wing country. I don’t think you should have a country with just one ideology. In England, there is a greater mix of views, compared to what we have here in Scotland – and I don’t think that’s good for politics.’

Graham Campbell, who is standing for the SNP on the Lothian list, is also hoping to be elected as Scotland’s first black MSP.

Dr Aibinu believes discussions around prejudice need to go further than just skin colour.

He said: ‘I get extremely frustrated with people who claim to want diversity but don’t want diversity of opinion. If you’re going to be passionate about diversity, you have to respect that people have different views.

‘There’s also something quite nasty in Scottish politics around the idea of Conservative is bad, Labour and SNP are good.

‘That is wrong. The principles of Conservatives are about empowering people – levelling up, social mobility, empowering people to be aspirational.

‘We don’t just want to help people all the time, we want to empower them to help others as well, and maybe we have not communicated that well enough.’

The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report published late last month found the UK was not institutionally racist or ‘rigged’ against minority groups, with the UK Government insisting that Britain was a beacon for the world.

The report was launched following Black Lives Matter protests, held worldwide after the death of George Floyd in the US.

Dr Aibinu fears the protests and ‘defund the police’ movement are wrong and counterproductive.

He said: ‘I stand against all forms of racism, having experienced it myself. Having said that, we can’t have an organisation that claims to represent the views of every single black person.

‘So I don’t support Black Lives Matter, as an organisation.

‘I don’t talk about defunding the police. We should work with the police and seek to reform organisations.’