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SNP names potential by-election candidates |
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Thursday, 03 July 2008 |
In anticipation of the Glasgow-East Westminster by-election later this month the Scottish National Party has chosen three potential candidates who will tonight go before local party members for final selection.
The three candidates selected are Cllr. John Mason, Dr. Duncan Ross and Humza Yousaf. SNP members in the Glasgow East branch will select the final candidate to contest the election at a meeting this evening (Thursday).
Mason, a 51 year old accountant is originally from Rutherglen but has lived in Glasgow’s East End for 18 years. First elected to Glasgow City Council in 1998 after winning the Garrowhill by-election, he is the SNP’s longest serving Glasgow councillor and now the party’s council group leader.
Ross is National Secretary of the SNP. He previously stood as a candidate in last year’s Scottish elections in Cunninghame South where he came second with a 35 per cent of the vote, losing to Labour’s Irene Oldfather with 44 per cent. Ross is a graduate of the University of Glasgow and the London School of Economics with an interest in banking and business history.
Glasgow-born Yousaf is Parliamentary Assistant to Glasgow SNP MSP Bashir Ahmad. He is Convenor of Young Asian Scots for Independence and Public Affairs Director of the Scottish Islamic Foundation.
Commenting after the selection, Westminster group leader Angus Robertson MP said:
“SNP members across Glasgow have shown their enthusiasm for this by-election with three strong candidates going forward for selection.
“Where Glasgow’s Labour MPs stayed silent as Gordon Brown doubled the tax on people in Glasgow East the SNP’s candidates are committed to speaking up for the East End of Glasgow and making sure the voice of the East End is heard in Westminster.”
The Scottish Conservatives have already selected Davena Rankin to fight the by-election. Brought up and educated in Glasgow before going to Sussex University, Rankin is a Commercial Manager for Research and Innovation Services at Glasgow Caledonian University. She is also an active member of UNISON. The candidate stood for the Tories in the 2007 Holyrood elections in Glasgow Cathcart, coming fourth with 2,324 votes.
Labour and the Liberal Democracts have yet to confirm their selected candidates.
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