Iain McKenzie selected to stand in Inverclyde

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

At a selection meeting today the local party in Inverclyde have selected the candidate for the upcoming by-election. The selection process was truncated and the shortlist strong for a by-election which hasn’t even been called yet – but in the end the party selected Iain McKenzie as their candidate.

Iain is a long serving councillor (and council leader), and was considered the favourite and the local candidate. A former head of education on the council he is credited with bringing new schools to the area and was backed by the CLP chair and the local MSP.

Speaking this evening after his selection, Iain said

“I am deeply honoured to be selected today because the next MP for Inverclyde has a massive task ahead. This election is about our future and I am determined to stand up for people across our area.

“My first priority will be to bang heads together to create an urgent plan for jobs, getting Inverclyde working and bringing new employers here. I will be a campaigning candidate, out on the doors talking to people about their real concerns – the economy, the unfair cuts hurting people here, housing, anti-social behaviour, and what really matters to people who live in my community.”

“This is an election no-one wanted, because David Cairns was a well-respected MP who served people well. The next MP has big shoes to fill and I do think we need someone local to do the job. I was born here, have lived here all my life and raised my family here. I know the challenges we face but also that this a brilliant place to raise a family. People here have great pride in our area and I want to put the pride back into Inverclyde.”

Congratulations to Iain – we’ll be bringing you news from the campaign trail in the coming weeks, and all of the news on election day, whenever that might be.