GLASGOW ELECTION SPECIAL: Everything you need to know
Sunday Edition 📰 30 June 2024: Everything you need to know about the General Election in Glasgow.
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With just four days to go the election race in Glasgow is a tight one. Labour and the SNP are neck in neck for each of our constituencies and as of June 26, Scottish election polls suggest Labour are leading the SNP 35.2% to 31.8% meaning they may win all seats.
Boundary changes last year saw Glasgow Central wiped from the map and the remaining six constituencies were carved into Frankenstein-like chunks. But as Allan Faulds of Ballot Box Scotland reported last week, our city is still expected to vote as a “single bloc”.
General Election promises can feel hollow in Scotland as a lot of the issues people care about are devolved (education, NHS waiting times, cost of living). The biggest concern is typically who will be able to stand up for Scotland most effectively and whoever wins the majority will have just two years to prove themselves before the 2026 Scottish parliament elections.
Whether you prefer to vote tactically or with your heart, I’ve put together the ultimate guide to the General Election in Glasgow so you can head to the polls informed about your options – oh and don’t forget your photo ID!
Glasgow West
This is the first contest for Glasgow West as the constituency was newly formed following the 2023 redraw. It consists of part of the old Glasgow North West and Glasgow North. Carol Monaghan (SNP) was the Glasgow North West MP previously. Political correspondent Stewart Paterson reports on the constituency for the Glasgow Times.
Candidates:
James Calder, Liberal Democrats
John Cormack, Christian Party “Proclaiming Christ’s Lordship”
Patricia Ferguson, Labour Party
Faten Hameed, Conservative and Unionist Party
↳ Hameed was a Labour candidate for Jeremy Corbyn before defecting to the Tories in 2020. - Andrew Learmonth, The National.
Dionne Moore, Reform UK
↳ Moore is also known as Dionne Moore Cocozza, a former Brexit Party candidate accused of Islamophobia in 2019. The party did not respond to questions about her candidacy or social media history. - Sam Doak, Sky News.
Nick Quail, Scottish Green Party
Glasgow North
The contest for this seat will be interesting following the disappearance of Glasgow Central (which was held by Alison Thewliss). The seat includes Glasgow University and surrounding areas so the July 4 election date could impact who is around since school is out. Read an in-depth breakdown of the area by James Walker for The National. The constituency is also demographically diverse and was the most pro-European constituency in Scotland. - James Kelly, The National.
Candidates:
Naveed Asghar, Conservative and Unionist Party
Iris Duane, Scottish Green Party
↳ Duane is hoping to become the first trans woman of colour in Parliament. - Jeevan Farthing, Dazed.
Daniel John O’Malley, Liberal Democrats
Glasgow North East
The seat is currently held by SNP’s Anne McLaughlin who faces the biggest challenge from Labour’s Maureen Burke. Child poverty is a big concern in the area. Morgan Carmichael, Glasgow Times spoke to local charity PEEK about their concerns.
Candidates:
Robert Henry Connelly, Conservative and Unionist Party
Catherine McKernan, Alba Party
Chris Sermanni, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
Gary Steele, Communist Party of Britain
Sheila Thomson, Liberal Democrats
Glasgow East
The constituency is one of the most deprived in Scotland and now includes Govanhill and the Gorbals following the constituency redraw. David Linden (SNP) is the incumbent. Annette Fisher, Greater Govanhill, visited the Glasgow East Hustings at Glasgow SE Foodbank. She said: “The Labour and SNP candidates tried to persuade the audience to vote for them by saying that Scotland’s interests were best served by a) having a strong Scottish contingent of MPs in the next government (Grady for Labour) or b) having a strong Scottish contingent of opposition MPs to hold Labour to account (Linden for SNP).”
Candidates:
Matthew James Clark, Liberal Democrats
Thomas Kerr, Conservative and Unionist Party
Liam McLaughlan, Scottish Socialist Party
Glasgow South
Glasgow South is another new seat made up of the old Glasgow South and part of Glasgow Central. The seat is currently held by Stewart McDonald (SNP). Nicole Mitchell, Glasgow Times spoke to constituents who say poverty and social isolation are the biggest issues in the area. A story by Hamish Morrison in The National also reveals the area has been a hotbed of “sectarianism rows”.
Candidates:
Niall Christie, Scottish Greens
Haroun Malik, Conservative and Unionist Party
↳ Malik was called out for failing to attend a hustings event and for re-using his bio from when he stood in Cumbernauld and Kilsyth. - Adam Robertson, The National.
Peter Michael McLaughlin, Liberal Democrats
Brian Smith, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
Glasgow South West
It’s thought the boundary changes may benefit incumbent MP Chris Stephens (SNP) by “the tiniest smidgeon”. Here, 17.5% of the population is Asian and Starmer’s position on the war in Gaza has caused a lot of anger among Muslims, James Kelly writes for The National.
Candidates:
John Hamelink, Scottish Greens
Paul McGarry, Liberal Democrats
Mamun Rashid, Conservative and Unionist Party
What else do you need to know?
🗳 What are the parties offering voters at the General Election? Craig Meighan has put together a summary of the manifestos for STV.
↳ You can read them in full here: Alba, Scottish Conservatives and Unionist Party, Scottish Labour, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Reform UK, Scottish Green Party, SNP.
➡ If you’re not sure which constituency you’re in following the map changes, visit Who Can I Vote For?
➡ To find out how to vote tactically for your area, visit Best for Britain.
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