A FORMER No voter who was hoping to stand for Holyrood in May has pledged to donate money to the SNP candidate who wins the selection race after he was forced to pull out.

Michael Sturrock withdrew from the Edinburgh Southern contest after he didn’t get through the SNP vetting process.

He said he will either make a donation from his campaign or from his own pocket to the winning candidate, having previously set up an appeal to raise £3000 to help him win the nomination.

The 26-year-old said he raised less than 40% (£1185) of the target sum with much of the money spent on his website and small portions on graphic design, video software and online advertising.“Whatever happens, I will be making a donation to the successful candidate either with the total remaining funds, or if there is none left, my own,” he said.

Sturrock voted against independence in 2014, but changed his mind to back independence after the EU referendum. He joined the SNP in 2018. He has pledged to convert his campaign website to a platform to persuading undecided voters to back independence.

“While my prospective candidacy ends here, my campaign for a positive vision of independence, and efforts to advance the No to Yes movement, does not,” he said.

“I will now focus on helping elect our stellar SNP candidates in Edinburgh, and on turning my website into a hub for the No to Yes movement where undecided voters can discover and question our ideas.”

Catriona McDonald, Alison Dickie and Doug Thomson remain in the SNP selection contest for Edinburgh Southern, currently held by Labour’s Daniel Johnson.