UK General Election 2024: Two days until vote after controversy-filled campaign in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East
TWO days remain until voters in the newly-created Aberdeenshire North and Moray East constituency head to the polls to select their MP.
After an election campaign that has been anything but short on controversy, five candidates, one of whom is no longer being endorsed by his party, will appear on the ballot on Thursday, July 4.
They will all be aiming to represent an area that includes Buckie and Keith, running from Fochabers all the way along the coast to Cruden Bay.
The candidates are Andrew Brown, Labour (no longer endorsed by party); Seamus Logan, SNP; Ian Bailey, Scottish Liberal Democrats; Jo Hart, Reform UK and Douglas Ross, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party.
Andrew Brown, who will appear as a Labour candidate on the ballot, was suspended by the party after allegedly sharing social media posts with a pro-Russian sentiment. If elected, he will represent Aberdeenshire North and Moray East as an independent.
His suspension isn’t the seat’s only controversy. Tory candidate Douglas Ross sparked debate when he announced that he would be running in place of an unwell David Duguid, who represented Banff and Buchan for seven years.
Shortly after that announcement, Mr Ross confirmed he will be stepping down as Scottish Conservative Party leader after the election regardless of the result - and also promised to step back as an MSP if elected, to focus on his role as an MP.
Whoever is elected will become Aberdeenshire North and Moray East’s first-ever MP, with the area recently created in a move that saw the Moray constituency split apart.
Seven candidates are in the running for Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey - which includes Mosstodloch, Elgin, Forres and Aviemore.
These are: Neil Alexander, Scottish Liberal Democrats; James Hynam, Scottish Labour Party; Graham Leadbitter, SNP; Euan Morrice, Scottish Family Party; Kathleen Robertson, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party; Steve Skerrett, Reform UK and Draeyk van der Horn, Scottish Green Party.
A newly-introduced law means voters are now required to bring photo ID - such as a passport or driving license - when heading along to the polling station to vote.
