Tom Gordon
INTERNATIONAL development minister Humza Yousaf is being challenged by Sean Clerkin’s solicitor for the SNP candidacy in Glasgow Pollok.
John Flanagan, a former Labour councillor who retrained in the law, is Yousaf’s sole opponent in the internal party selection for Holyrood.
Yousaf, currently a Glasgow list MSP, is the favourite, but Flanagan has built a strong local profile through his legal practice, championing the rights of housing association tenants.
He also represents the serial anti-austerity campaigner Sean Clerkin, who famously trapped then Labour leader Iain Gray in a sandwich shop during the 2011 Scottish election.
Glasgow Pollok is currently held by ex-Labour leader Johann Lamont with a majority of 623.
Her chances of holding on next May are slim - the overlapping Westminster seat of Glasgow South West went from Labour to the SNP on a 35 per cent swing at the general election.
Voting in the SNP selection runs from tomorrow to August 31.
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