While the battle to be the next MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West is very much a two-horse race, there are another 12 ponies taking part. Some of the candidates are standing on detailed policy prospectuses, others not so much.
Here’s our rundown of the 14 hopefuls in the contest to replace Margaret Ferrier.
Gloria Adebo, Scottish Liberal Democrats
A data analyst in a financial company, Adebo has previously stood as a Liberal Democrat candidate in council elections. She moved to Glasgow from Nigeria ten years ago with her husband and two children as part of the highly skilled migrant programme.
Bill Bonnar, Scottish Socialist Party
A founding member of the SSP, Bonar has stood for election several times. He spent some of the 80s in Sudan working as an aid worker before the 1989 coup. He served as the chair and the national secretary of what still remains Scotland’s most electorally successful socialist party. He’s promised that as an MP, he would take no more than the average skilled worker's wage.
Garry Cooke, Independent
This candidate is running on quite a niche one-issue sport-based platform. Cooke is calling for major reform of the UK’s football structures. He wants clubs in Scotland and England to compete in a new Premier League of Great Britain.
Andrew Daly, Independent
There’s not much information about Daly and what he believes. According to the Daily Record, he was motivated to stand by the behaviour of Margaret Ferrier, the previous MP for the constituency, who was removed from office by a recall petition after breaking Covid rules. He said a vote for him would "send a strong message to both Westminster and Holyrood that the quality of political decisions since Brexit has been so poor".
Cameron Eadie, Scottish Green Party
At just 20, the social and public policy student is the youngest candidate in the contest. He joined the Scottish Greens in 2021. However, this isn’t Eadie’s first rodeo. The East Kilbride raised eco-campaigner and stood as a candidate in the South Lanarkshire council by-election this year.
Niall Fraser, Scottish Family Party
Fraser has made a name for himself with a number of stunts, including ‘bricking up’ a sexual health clinic and accusing First Minister Humza Yousaf of racism during a fringe show. He says his party is standing up for traditional family values, however, according to Hope Not Hate the group has cosied up to far right organisations.
Ewan Hoyle, Volt UK
The Clarkston-based candidate is asking Labour voters to lend him their votes “and stop Labour winning the seat”. This he says would “put real pressure on Labour to change course” on Europe and PR.
Thomas Kerr, Scottish Conservatives
As leader of the Tory group on Glasgow City Council, Kerr is probably the most high profile candidate in the contest. That said, he’s not really trying and his appearances on campaign trail have been fleeting. He is the councillor for Shettleston, one of Scotland’s most deprived neighbourhoods.
Katy Loudon, SNP
The former primary school teacher has been the councillor for the Cambuslang East ward at South Lanarkshire since 2017 and is a weel-kent face in the South Lanarkshire party. She studied psychology at Glasgow Caledonian University and went on to complete a postgraduate degree in primary teaching.
Prince Ankit Love, Emperor of India
In a video message for STV’s Scotland Tonight, Prince Ankit said he wanted to tackle air pollution and would fight for peace and love in the by-election. The man, who claims to be the rightful emperor of Kashmir, says a vote for him “can unite England, unite the world, unite Scotland, and unite Great Britain.”
Chris Sermanni, Scottish Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
The Cambuslang-based trade unionist is the shop steward convener for Glasgow City Unison. He’s fighting the campaign to stop budget cuts, “for above-inflation pay and benefit rises, and socialist nationalisation of energy, the banks, and big industries like Royal Mail".
Michael Shanks, Scottish Labour
A local modern studies teacher, the Labour activist is also a veteran contester of elections. He has stood three times for Labour and was the party's only unsuccessful Glasgow candidate in the 2012 local elections. In a 2019 blog post, he revealed he had walked away from Labour when Jeremy Corbyn was leader. However, he is back and, according to the bookies, looks set to be heading to Westminster.
David Stark, Reform UK
Reform used to be known as the Brexit Party, but was rebranded ahead of the 2019 general election. They've so far not had the same electoral success in England as they has in Scotland. Stark is promising to fight against the "absurd woke agenda".
Colette Walker, Independence for Scotland Party The ISP is standing on an abstention platform. They believe Scotland should not be sending representatives to a parliament where they sit “purposeless” in a system that they cannot influence.
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