A SCOTTISH Tory MSP is looking to win a seat at Westminster – and will challenge Joanna Cherry to do so.
Sue Webber, a Conservative MSP for the Lothian region, will be contesting the Edinburgh South West constituency at the next General Election.
A statement on Webber’s website announcing her selection does not mention whether she would seek to continue in her role at Holyrood if elected to Westminster. The Scottish Tories have been asked for clarification.
In a now-deleted post on Twitter/X on Thursday, Webber shared a gif of two dancing women – one wearing yellow and the other blue – and declared the Edinburgh South West contest would be a straight fight between her and Cherry.
Cherry has held the seat for the SNP since 2015, when she replaced former chancellor Alistair Darling.
The Conservatives have come second in the constituency in the past two General Elections. However, in 2019, Cherry won roughly double the number of votes her Tory challenger did.
Announcing her selection, Webber said: “This election in Scotland is all about SNP failure. Our hospitals face record waiting times, standards in our schools are plummeting, the police are underfunded, and our roads are an utter disgrace.
“Joanna Cherry might be a thorn in the side of the SNP leadership, but she still represents the SNP and the nationalists have let down the people of Edinburgh South West for nearly 20 years.
“They have neglected our services because of their unrelenting focus on independence and the only way to end this distraction is for voters to stop supporting their candidates.
“Every constituency needs a strong opponent to take them on and I have a proven track record of delivering for local people and for standing up to the SNP.”
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Webber was formerly a councillor in Edinburgh and is now her party’s drugs spokesperson at Holyrood.
She is not the only Tory looking to head to the London parliament.
Stephen Kerr, another Tory MSP, is also looking to win himself a seat at Westminster at the next General Election.
Last year, the Times reported that Scottish Conservative figures feared an exodus of MSPs to Westminster.
Donald Cameron, an aristocrat and the Scottish Tories’ former constitution spokesperson, quit Holyrood in recent weeks in order to take a peerage and become a UK Government minister.
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