Leading Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman is to be challenged for the top spot on the party’s Holyrood list.
Greens activist and former oil and gas worker Guy Ingerson will stand against the party grandee in a selection contest for the North East Scotland regional list.
Ingerson currently serves as the party’s leader in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire and is the co-convenor of the party’s LGBT+ wing, the Rainbow Greens.
Formerly co-leader of the Greens from 2013 to 2019, Chapman has been an MSP since 2021.
She was nearly ousted from the Scottish Parliament’s equalities committee in April after criticising the Supreme Court over their recent ruling on the definition of a woman.
In a statement, Ingerson pledged to be a “change candidate” for the region.
The activist previously stood for the Greens in Aberdeen South last summer, earning 3.5% of the vote.
He said: “Like the rest of Scotland, communities across our region have seen successive cuts to public services. Our NHS, libraries, colleges, and local nurseries have all seen cuts, and our universities are in crisis. Enough is enough.
“We need an anti-cuts campaigner in the Scottish Parliament fighting to improve and restore our public services. I am that person.”
Once a political ally of Chapman, Ingerson lodged an internal party bullying complaint against his former boss last month, alleging that she contacted his new employer to warn he was “untrustworthy”.
Both Chapman and Ingerson have declined to comment publicly on the matter.
Ingerson said that securing a just energy transition is a key priority of his campaign.
He noted: “The transition away from oil & gas is not bringing everyone with it. People need to see tangible benefits to renewable energy infrastructure, and they need jobs to go to. We have been waiting years for a plan from the Scottish government and the UK government are not delivering; we cannot wait any longer.
“We should be looking to the ‘Our Power’ report produced by Platform and Friends of the Earth Scotland. This must be the starting point for any plan. We need climate justice and action. We need both now.”
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