A Renfrewshire councillor has put her name forward to contest the Scottish Parliament seat currently held by the controversial MSP Derek Mackay.
Natalie Don, who represents Bishopton, Bridge of Weir and Langbank, is hoping to become the SNP candidate for the Renfrewshire North and West seat, which has been held by the former finance secretary since 2011.
Mr Mackay quit his ministerial position and was suspended from the SNP back in February after it was revealed he sent 270 messages to a 16-year-old boy.
The 43-year-old has, however, continued to hold the seat as an Independent pending an investigation into his conduct.
Councillor Don, who was elected to the council in May 2017, insisted she could bring an "abundance of local knowledge" to the role.
In an announcement on social media, she said: "I am absolutely delighted to announce I will be asking SNP members in Renfrewshire North and West to select me as their candidate to go forward for the Scottish Parliament election next year.
"It would be the honour of my life to represent the people of Renfrewshire North and West in our parliament.
"I have lived in this constituency my entire life. This is my home and the people here deserve a candidate with an abundance of local knowledge.
"At a time when community spirit is absolutely vital as we recover from the coronavirus, we need MSPs who understand the needs of our towns and villages and will fight to represent them.
"Renfrewshire and Inverclyde have been ignored by the UK establishment for long enough. I believe Scotland will become an independent country within the term of the next parliament. As your MSP, my focus will be on making sure the people of Renfrewshire North and West get that chance to have a choice on Scotland's future."
The seat covers towns such as Erskine and Renfrew as well as villages including Inchinnan, Bridge of Weir, Bishopton and Kilmacolm, which sits just over the local authority border in Inverclyde.
The election is scheduled to be held on May 6 next year.
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