Airdrie’s MP has announced that he will seek his party’s nomination to stand for the constituency in next year’s Scottish Parliament election.
Neil Gray today confirmed that he is bidding to replace current colleague Alex Neil at Holyrood, after the long-serving MSP told last week that he is to stand down after 22 years at the parliament.
His rivals for the SNP nomination will include Paul Di Mascio, who is a councillor for the Airdrie South ward and is business manager of the party’s group on North Lanarkshire Council.
Mr Gray – who has been Airdrie’s MP since 2015 and then defended the seat at two subsequent general elections – said it would be “the honour of my life” to be chosen for the Holyrood candidacy for May’s election.
He said: “Alex Neil leaves big shoes to fill, but I have worked closely with him for many years and have had the pleasure of representing the people of Airdrie & Shotts at Westminster for over five years.
“I have used that platform to work day in, day out, for local people, businesses and charities – giving me the local profile and track record to hit the ground running in this crucial Holyrood election campaign.
“Next year’s Holyrood election will be the most important yet for the SNP. To win independence we need to win in Airdrie & Shotts, and having represented the area I have the profile and experience to help make that happen.”
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Councillor Di Mascio, who is also secretary of the party’s Airdrie & Shotts constituency branch, says he has “been approached by many local members asking me to run”.
He said: “I would be honoured and privileged to be given the task of representing the area in which I have lived my entire life.
“I am honoured and privileged to serve my constituents in Airdrie South and would be delighted to continue to serve them and the wider communities throughout Airdrie & Shotts; I have a track record of working hard for constituents.
“This will be a crucial election at a difficult time because of the ongoing coronavirus crisis and Brexit. I anticipate that these will be historic elections which will lead to an independence referendum, and I want to be there at the centre, helping lead Airdrie & Shotts through that successfully.”
Labour’s candidate in the seat for May’s Holyrood election will be Scottish party leader Richard Leonard, who also stood in the constituency in 2016, losing out to Mr Neil.
