A PROMINENT SNP candidate who was booed for forgetting the name of his seat has been handed a potential lifeline after being singled out for help by a tactical voting campaign.
John Nicolson is to receive support from the anti-Brexit Final Say group in Ochil and South Perthshire.
The former TV reporter who was the MP for East Dunbartonshire from 2015 to 2017 before losing to Jo Swinson, was ridiculed last week for saying he was back in his old seat.
READ MORE: Top SNP candidate booed after forgetting his seat at hustings
He told a hustings in Alloa: “Please trust me with your vote on December the 12th. As you know, only the Scottish National party can beat the Tories here in East Dunbartonshire”.
Despite audience jeers and delight on the face of Tory incumbent Luke Graham, Mr Nicolson appeared oblivious to his mistake.
After a video of the gaffe was posted online, Mr Nicolson was branded a “laughing stock”. He later put it down to a “slip of the tongue”.
The Tories hoped it would help Mr Graham, whose majority over the SNP in 2017 was 3,359, hold on to the hotly contested marginal.
However the Vote for a Final Say campaign, which is urging tactical votes against the Tories to deprive Boris Johnson of a majority, yesterday threw its weight behind Mr Nicolson.
It said Ochil & South Perthshire was the only Scottish seat among 25 it would be targeting across the UK.
Its ‘Voter Power Index,’ based on crunching poll data, suggested voters there could wield 33 times more power than those elsewhere.
The campaign said it would “pump thousands of pounds” into the seat to fund social media adverts and other campaigning to help the SNP candidate defeat his Tory rival.
Mr Nicolson said: “It’s clear that only the SNP can beat the Conservatives in Ochil & South Perthshire. The election is very close and the outcome could determine the future of the country for a generation.
READ MORE: YouGov Poll: The Scottish seats predicted to change hands at the general election
“Every vote in every seat matters, but this analysis shows that some votes will be crucial in determining the outcome. Those are in seats across the UK where the result is hanging in the balance and could determine the result.
“I would ask people, including those who do not normally vote SNP, to think very carefully before they vote as every single vote will count.”
The campaign warned Remainers not to waste votes on third-placed candidates in case “a hard-Brexit Conservative” was elected.
Mr Graham said: “The voters in Ochil & South Perthshire are very powerful and should be respected.
“The SNP had an MP in Ochil & South Perthshire before and our constituency was completely disrespected and ignored.
“The Scottish Conservatives are the only party that can stand up to the SNP, say no to Indyref2, get Brexit sorted and focus on the local issues important for people in Ochil & South Perthshire.”
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