SCOTLAND in Union chief executive Pamela Nash is said to be “unhappy” after failing in a bid to win back her old job as a Labour MP.
Nash represented the Airdrie & Shotts constituency between 2010 and 2015, until SNP MP Neil Gray won the seat.
Gray (below) is now standing down from the Westminster role to run in the upcoming Holyrood election, which has prompted a by-election in the area.
An internal Labour election to determine who will represent the party at the vote saw Nash lose to North Lanarkshire councillor Kenny Stevenson, who was the only other member to put himself forward.
Initially former candidate Helen McFarlane and local activist Chris Costello also put their names forward, but it has been reported that the pair dropped out.
According to The Herald, Costello, a candidate on the Central Scotland list this year, backed Stevenson – helping him secure the win over the head of the Unionist group.
READ MORE: Scotland in Union panned over new Scottish independence poll
Stevenson will now run against the SNP candidate Anum Qaisar-Javed, who was a Labour activist before coming out in support for independence.
The modern studies teacher will be defending the party’s majority of 5201 on May 13. Labour came second in the constituency in 2019 with 31.9% of the vote, down five points on the 2017 election.
Stevenson said he was “delighted” to have been chosen to run in the by-election. “I have lived my whole life in North Lanarkshire and I have been proud to serve as a Scottish Labour councillor, putting Labour values into action on a daily basis,” he said. Meanwhile, Anas Sarwar congratulated the councillor on his win.
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