A former Labour councillor is standing against his own party’s official candidate in the Holyrood elections.
Callum Ian Macmillan has been announced as one of five political hopefuls to be the next Western Isles’ next MSP.
The retired college marketing manager from Stornoway was disappointed not to get his “Time for Change” slogan on ballot papers.
Mr Macmillan was a Labour councillor for Point in the 1990s and is still a member of the party.
However, he is contesting this election without any party affiliation.
Mr Macmillan said as the only local in the race he gives islanders the opportunity to vote for a local candidate.
When quizzed on the risk of splitting the Labour vote, he stated: “The Labour candidate has no record of delivery in the islands and there is no evidence of him achieving anything.”
The Labour Party hail their man, Shaun Fraser, as “a breath of fresh air” in island politics. He says the focus over the next Parliament should be on recovery from the pandemic rather than arguing about referendums or the constitution.
The SNP are pinning their hopes on Alasdair Allan holding onto the seat.
Scottish Conservative candidate Gavin Berkeneger is looking to build the upward trend for the local Tories which was evident at the 2019 general election which saw their support on the islands soaring five times compared to the figure ten years ago.
Neil Mitchison is the Scottish Liberal Democrats candidate. He’s a familiar voice on Gaelic radio. Mr Mitchison spent 25 years working for the European Commission, including several years as European Commission representative in Scotland.
The election takes place on 6 May.
The deadline for nominations closed on Wednesday afternoon.
Labour stalwart stands against own party as Western Isles election list revealed
31 March 2021
Callum Ian Macmillan