SNP announce Laura Mitchell as UK general election candidate

THE SNP has announced Laura Mitchell will stand as their candidate in Moray at the next UK general election.

After a ballot of party members in Moray, Ms Mitchell secured the candidacy – defeating Barry Weiland-Jarvis.

Laura, who is from Keith and attended Keith Grammar School, currently works for Richard Lochhead, Moray's MSP, in his consistency office in Elgin, where she lives.

After being announced as her party's candidate, she said: "I'm honoured and humbled to have been selected as the SNP candidate for Moray and I'd like to thank local SNP members for investing their confidence in me.

"I care deeply about our local communities and my priority will be to make sure that our voice is heard at Westminster.

"Moray is set to be one of the areas in the UK worst hit by a no-deal Brexit. Our Tory MP (Douglas Ross) has been completely silent on this and has obediently fallen into line. He is prepared to see us to crash out of the EU without a deal regardless of the devastating consequences for our local economy.

"Beyond Brexit, we've seen a decade of Tory austerity cause huge damage locally. Too many families in Moray are not just struggling to get by, but have been pushed into poverty as a direct consequence of the cruel policies of successive Conservative UK Governments. These families need a voice in Parliament and I'm determined to be their voice."

Commenting on the result, Moray SNP convener Angus Anderson said: "Laura Mitchell is a terrific choice; she is an extremely experienced campaigner with huge knowledge of the issues that affect the people of Moray and would make a tremendous member of parliament and advocate for the area."

Currently, the next UK general election is set for May 5, 2022, but the likelihood is it will come sooner than that. The SNP have chosen their candidate early in case of a snap election.

Ms Mitchell stood for the SNP on the Highlands and Islands Regional List in 2016 and was second.

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