“I am delighted to have been selected as the Labour candidate for Ross Skye and Lochaber and look forward to the challenge of winning votes for the Labour Party. It makes me immensely proud to have been given the opportunity to represent those people who vote for the Labour Party in this part of Scotland; their votes mean very much to the Party and I hope to be able to convey the core Labour messages to the entire constituency during the next months. At the next general election voters will have the choice of maintaining the security provided by the Labour Government or jeopardising stability by voting for an inexperienced Conservative party; focused on cutbacks across the country and likely to return Scotland to the political and economic marginalisation of the Thatcher days.

All political parties have been shaken by the expenses scandal, and rightly so. It is time to place integrity back into the political system. My campaign will focus hard on education, youth employment and social mobility, the keys to economic and social success in northern Scotland.”