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Lib Dems and UKIP stake election claim in Moray


By Jonathan Clark

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THE Liberal Democrats and UKIP have staked their claim to voters in Moray after naming their candidates last week.

Fiona Campbell Trevor will stand for the Lib Dems in the area, with Rob Scorer UKIP's candidate again after standing in 2015.

That takes the total number of parties standing in Moray to five with SNP, with the Conservatives and Labour also standing in the area.

Meet the candidates: SNP, Tories, Labour.

Lib Dem Ms Campbell Trevor, who is an Aberdonian, previously worked as a councillor in Bearsden.

She believes her party's policies are straight-forward and will appeal to those in Moray who voted to remain in the EU and the UK – the majority in both cases.

She said: "Moray is a very varied constituency and Brexit touches all aspects of it.

"We are very much of the opinion this is a difficult seat for the Lib Dems but we are the largest remain party and a lot of people in Moray voted remain, or are prepared to change their minds.

"Labour have not come out with a clear opinion. We will go straight to revoking art 50 and, if we get no majority, the next card is negotiating."

Fiona said this election is the most crucial and hard-to-call for many a year. She added: "The election is unpredictable. We are finding voters switching from both the Tories and SNP on the doorstep.

Fiona Campbell Trevor
Fiona Campbell Trevor

"My message to voters is to think very carefully. It's very important as we are deciding our future for several decades."

In 2017, the Lib Dems failed to get their deposit back in Moray as they gathered only 2.3 per cent of the vote. However, they are polling above that this year.

UKIP received 1936 votes, 3.9 per cent of the vote, in 2015, a figure higher than the Lib Dems total that year, but didn't stand in 2017.

They are back this time round, and Rob Scorer, who lives in Lossiemouth, hopes to take votes from the Brexit Party – who are not standing a candidate in Moray in line with UK policy.

UKIP election candidate Rob Scorer. Picture: Eric Cormack
UKIP election candidate Rob Scorer. Picture: Eric Cormack

He said: "With us, voters will get exactly the same as the Brexit Party: someone who wants out of the EU.

"I'm not a huge fan of tactical voting. If you vote tactically you are generally voting for someone who you don't want. That's how the Conservatives got in last time in Moray and they gave us Theresa May, probably the most useless Prime Minister ever."

Moray had the highest Brexit vote in Scotland, although the majority voted in favour of remaining in the EU.

Mr Scorer added: "21 per cent voted Brexit Party in the European elections so there is a taste for it. There is people who are interested in voting for us.

"We are in favour of a harder Brexit. I don't see the point in giving EU any kind of upper hand. We voted to leave not for a deal.

"We want out of customs union, court of justice and single market."


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