A FORMER special adviser to Gordon Brown has been selected to run as Labour’s candidate in the target seat of Midlothian.
It comes as it was confirmed that Douglas Alexander, a former Labour minister who lost his seat to Mhairi Black in 2015, will run in the East Lothian constituency. Both seats have historically been Labour areas but voted SNP in 2015 and 2019.
Owen Thompson currently represents Midlothian for the SNP, with a majority of 5705. In 2019, Labour came second with 29.7% of the vote – losing their incumbent MP Danielle Rowley.
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Now, Kirsty McNeill has been chosen to run as Midlothian’s Labour candidate in the next Westminster election.
McNeill previously served as a Labour councillor, then wrote speeches for Brown before becoming an adviser on external affairs.
In recent years she has served as the executive director of policy, advocacy and campaigns at Save the Children, and as the chair of Brown's Unionist campaign group Our Scottish Future’s advisory board.
“We are going to work night and day to hear the magic words: LABOUR GAIN,” she tweeted on Sunday following the announcement.
“As I said today, I love our party with my whole heart - I couldn’t be prouder to be our standard bearer in magnificent Midlothian. Change is coming. So let’s get started.”
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