SNP candidate Paul McLennan hopes focusing on battling climate change and targeting young voters will bag him a win in former Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray’s constituency.

The hotly contested seat in East Lothian has not turned yellow in any Scottish Parliament election since its inception in 1999 but with the voting age now lowered to 16, McLennan said he is “cautiously optimistic” youngsters could make a dent in the 1127 votes that held it for Labour in 2016.

The National met with McLennan in Dunbar to talk about the key issues in the area and his plans if he is elected as the region’s first SNP MSP.

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It’s certainly a different kind of campaign for McLennan, who has been a local councillor for 14 years, with his team focussing on social media and speaking to younger voters on issues they care about – jobs, housing and the environment.

McLennan said: “We’ve got a really good social media campaign, we hit around 50,000 hits in the last few weeks and that’s been targeted at young voters with an environmental message going out. And we’ve got one about NHS and care services, so that’s been a big focus because we can’t knock doors.

“I think it’s gone down really well, we’ve had young people who have said to us they’ve seen the videos, so we’re cautiously optimistic, I think. It’s difficult to tell because you can’t be out knocking doors or doing street stalls.”

McLennan said part of his preparation for the campaign was making sure that he consulted with local groups who are involved in environmental and sustainability projects and will focus on rewilding and making the area as carbon neutral as possible.

McLennan said: “Nationally we’re looking at how do we bring down emissions, but down there you’ve got Torness Power Station, you’ve got Lafarge Cement and we’ve got a recycling centre as well. So they all contribute.

“So locally it would be about discussing with them how do we try and get them as carbon neutral as possible. There’s lots going on and of course East Lothian is committed to planting two million trees in the next 10 years. So it’s looking at issues like that and marrying that up with the national issues and trying to make a real difference in East Lothian. It’s about trying to make East Lothian as carbon neutral as quickly as possible.”

McLennan added that an independent Scotland would be key, adding: “Everyone is concerned about recovery and that’s right, in terms of economic recovery, which I think is really important, in terms of the environment which is really important to people here, and in education and health. But we’re doing that with our hands tied behind our back.”

Environmental issues are high on the priority list for local publican Tristan O’Brien, 49, who said he would be voting SNP.

He said: “I think Nicola Sturgeon’s done a good job and she’s honest. I don’t agree with all their policies but I think they’re honest and up front and I trust them.

“The environment is the most important thing, period. I’ve got a young daughter and she’s got her whole life ahead of her and I’d like her to experience the world similar to the way we enjoy it, but it’s not going to be like that.

“The walls crumbling down at the east sands there because the waves are getting stronger and that’s only going to increase. We’re on schedule for a two-degree temperature rise minimum now, so half the town is going to start to get eroded. It’s a reality that’s happening and we need to wake up to it.”

Chris Yule, 52, storyteller and occasional TV extra, also said he would be voting for the SNP.

He said: “I’m very much a Yes voter. The geographical divide is quite clear – you can see there’s more of a left lean north of the Border and the feeling we’re disempowered. We don’t have a proper voice in Westminster.

“We don’t get the government for which we vote and that’s infuriating. I believe that Scotland can thrive as an independent country. It’s got the skills, the people and the attitude, but it’s a civic concept of nationalism, not a nationalistic approach.

“Scotland’s made up of people from all over the world who’ve come here to be here in Scotland and they are as Scottish as those who were born and bred here. It’s more about a state of mind than a state of blood."

But it is a tight race, and many voters in the town are loyal Labour supporters, like sales negotiator Jennifer Lewis, 50.

Asked who she was voting for, Lewis said: “It’s been quite difficult for me. I have considered both party’s but I’ve decided I’m going to vote for Labour.

“I think it’s the whole independence thing. I’m still not sure if it’s the right thing for Scotland. It’s not a priority for me or those that I care for at the moment.

“I think we need as a country to come together and to be rebuilding infrastructure, putting money into schools and hospitals, council houses and try and make it a fairer society.”

And Catherine Robertson, 40, a youth charity worker also said she was backing the Labour candidate.

She said: “I think I’m going to vote for Labour. In the independence referendum I was a Yes voter but I think I’ve changed my mind.

“I like Nicola Sturgeon and I think she’s done a good job with Covid but ultimately they want independence, I think their policies reflect that. I think Labour are fairer for everyone.”

KEY FACTS

2016 Election Results 

  • Iain Gray – Scottish Labour – 14,329
  • DJ Johnson-Smith – SNP – 13,202
  • Rachael Hamilton – Scottish 
  • Conservatives – 9045
  • Ettie Spencer – Scottish LibDems – 1337
  • Labour majority – 1,127
  • Swing needed to SNP – 3%
  • Voter turnout – 62.3%

Candidates Holyrood Election 2021

  • Paul McLennan – SNP
  • Martin Whitfield – Scottish Labour
  • Craig Hoy – Scottish Conservatives
  • Euan Davidson – Scottish LibDems