THE SNP have accused Labour and the Tories of giving up hope of winning constituency seats across the north east region of Scotland, after pleading with voters to lend them their regional list vote.
SNP candidate for Aberdeenshire West Fergus Mutch has said the re-focusing of the parties’ campaigns to target regional votes rather than win constituency seats – following consecutive polls showing the SNP is on course to win the election – demonstrates a lack of ambition to lead Scotland through its recovery. Last week, Labour penned a letter to residents in Aberdeenshire pleading with voters to lend them their second regional vote to “become Scotland’s second party”.
Meanwhile, Douglas Ross’s Tory campaign has focused on regional votes to try and stop a pro-independence victory with polls predicting defeats for his party in constituency seats.
In 2016, the Tories won Aberdeenshire West from the SNP with a slim majority of just 900 votes. Mutch said: “The SNP are fighting to win every single constituency seat in Scotland.
“The SNP, led by Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, are the only party serious about forming the next Scottish Government that will lead our Covid recovery.
“After the mess of Brexit, the Tories’ campaign has failed to get going and now Labour’s campaign has stalled too as they give up any hope of winning seats like Aberdeenshire West.
“The Westminster parties have deserted constituencies across Scotland. There’s just two weeks to go until polling day when voters can put Scotland’s future in Scotland’s hands. The north east doesn’t deserve second best – it deserves serious leadership for the serious times we face. That’s exactly with Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP offer.”
Mutch previously contested the equivalent Westminster seat in 2019, reducing Andrew Bowie’s majority from 8000 to just more than 800 votes. He now seeks to unseat Tory Alexander Burnett from Aberdeenshire West.
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