logo
Minister pans Labour for 'shipping in' London councillor to run in Highlands

Minister pans Labour for 'shipping in' London councillor to run in Highlands

The National30-04-2025

Labour have selected Eva Kestner to contest the Caithness, Sutherland and Ross seat next year despite her living around 650 miles away in Lewisham, where she works as a councillor.
It is the second time Anas Sarwar's party have selected her as a candidate for the area, after she ran in the General Election last year for the equivalent Westminster constituency.
Public Health Minister Maree Todd, who currently represents the area for the SNP, said the area did not deserve to be represented by "more of the Prime Minister's cronies".
READ MORE: What DWP powers to spy on bank accounts mean for you
She said: "Given Labour's disastrous start in Government, it's no surprise that no one from Caithness, Sutherland and Ross is willing to back Keir Starmer as a local Labour candidate.
'Labour has form on shipping London-based candidates in to Scotland, and it's no wonder.
"Labour is pulling out all the stops to support industry in England, but offering nothing for Scotland - particularly for my constituents in the Highlands.
'The people of the Highlands deserve real local champions – not more of the Prime Minister's cronies.'
The selection of Kestner by Sarwar's party came in for heavy criticism on social media.
Andrea Cowan, an SNP councillor in Rutherglen, questioned how the selection was acceptable after Scottish Labour accused the SNP of "parachuting" in Katy Loudon to contest the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election.
READ MORE: Tories demand John Swinney sacks SNP MSPs who backed Maggie Chapman
Loudon does not live in the constituency but does stay just over the border in Rutherglen. She is hoping to keep the seat in SNP hands following the tragic death of Christina McKelvie last month.
Cowan said on Twitter/X: "So, let's get this straight, a councillor from Lewisham, 650 miles from Caithness, is fine to stand for Labour in next year's Holyrood elections, but an experienced councillor from South Lanarkshire, standing in Hamilton is being parachuted in?"
Last year, Labour were accused of "parachuting in paper candidates" as Kestner was among a raft of General Election picks based south of the Border.
After Wilma Brown was removed as a candidate in Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath following an outcry over "racist" social media posts, Melanie Ward ran in her place despite living in London.
The party's candidate in Angus and Perthshire Glens was Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, who was a councillor based more than 500 miles away in the city of Canterbury, in Kent.
Some of the other candidates from south of the Border who ran for Labour last year include Conor Savage who was selected to contest Orkney and Shetland despite living in Edinburgh. He previously stood in Bangor for Plaid Cymru.
After being asked by The National why a London councillor had been chosen to run in the Caithness, Sutherland and Ross seat, a Scottish Labour spokesperson said Kestner grew up in Scotland and had previously worked in the Highlands and Islands.
They said: 'The SNP has failed the Highlands and Islands for too long, but in 2026 we can choose a change in direction with Scottish Labour.
'All Scottish Labour candidates are democratically selected by local members and this candidates will be a fantastic champion for the communities where she is standing.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Ed Miliband's nuclear golden era could soon become a new dark age
Ed Miliband's nuclear golden era could soon become a new dark age

Telegraph

time13 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

Ed Miliband's nuclear golden era could soon become a new dark age

This Government is fond of making grandiose claims for things that are yet to happen. The latest is Ed Miliband's declaration that we are in 'a golden era of nuclear power.' He has made a series of announcements that may or may not come to fruition over the next two decades, including a new nuclear plant at Sizewell with £14 billion of public money behind it. But Mr Miliband is getting well ahead of himself. History shows that few public policies of modern times have been more mishandled. Britain once led the world in nuclear energy and it was very much a cross-party venture. The post-war Attlee government established the Atomic Energy Research Establishment and the first ever commercial nuclear reactor was built at Calder Hall under the Tories in 1956 just as the Suez crisis increased concerns over the supply of oil. British nuclear expertise was second to none and sought around the world. Under both Conservative and Labour administrations, the UK became a leader in nuclear power development, commencing operations on 26 Magnox reactors between 1956 and 1971. The technology chopped and changed, moving from advanced gas-cooled reactors (AGRs) in the 1970s to pressurised water reactors (PWRs) and even a fast-breeder reactor experiment at Dounreay in Scotland, opened amid great fanfare by Margaret Thatcher but which has now closed. Her government set in train a plan for eight new PWRs, only one of which – Sizewell B – was ever built. What happened? One answer is North Sea oil and gas. Fears about fuel scarcity and sky high prices abated as more came ashore. Cheap gas made the cost of nuclear look prohibitive to politicians fixated only on the short term. Meanwhile, across the Channel, the French, with no oil and depleted coal reserves, invested instead in nuclear power. By 1979 they had installed 56 reactors, satisfying their power needs and even exporting electricity to other European countries, including us. The French are even going to be building Sizewell C. They produce 70 per cent of their electricity by nuclear fission, which does not emit CO2, and are not dependent on energy from volatile regions like the Gulf or despotic regimes like Russia. This serendipity was as much a function of force majeure as foresight. As the French said 'no oil, no gas, no coal, no choice'. As a result they have found themselves in a better position than Britain in the switch to low carbon renewables. Because of the apparent bonanza provided by North Sea oil, we neglected the one source of power that would help create self-sufficiency and meet climate change objectives. Only when it was too late and much of the industry's expertise had been lost did the last Labour government try to reactivate the nuclear programme. Ironically, it was Mr Miliband as Environment Secretary who revived the programme 15 years ago in the teeth of objections from Labour 'greens'. Yet only one new reactor at Hinkley Point – using French technology and, to begin with, Chinese finance – has been given the go ahead. It is way behind schedule by at least six years and massively over budget. For all the trumpet-blowing is the new Sizewell announcement just another milestone along a road paved with good intentions and wretched decision-making? We know it will be hugely expensive and the idea of it coming on stream within 10 years is for the birds. Since it is a copy of Hinkley it should benefit by learning from the mistakes made there. But few can have confidence in the project meeting any of its financial targets or the timetable for construction because nothing in this country ever does. Around the world there is a boom in nuclear power building as countries see it as an essential complement to wind and solar, not least because it provides a baseload and is not dependent on the weather. Sixty reactors are being built globally – 30 of them in China, which has also opened a thorium plant, something we could have done years ago since we have plentiful supplies and the process reduces waste. Is there any area in which the UK can press ahead? Tucked away in his Telegraph article this week, Miliband says the Government is ramping up spending on nuclear fusion research, though this seems more a token mention than an enthusiastic embrace. Yet fusion is one area where the British do have a great deal of expertise, with start-up companies well ahead of any European competitors in raising investment. It is always said that fusion is the future that never arrives because it involves replicating the same processes seen on the Sun. About 35 years ago two chemists shocked the world by claiming they had come up with 'cold fusion' obviating the need to produce the excessive temperatures needed. But the science was flawed, even though some adherents still think cold fusion is possible. Fusion technology is advancing rapidly and is likely to accelerate with the help of AI, high temperature superconducting magnets and supercomputers. But those in the business fear the Government is making the same mistakes as its predecessors in failing to measure the long-term in decades, not parliamentary sessions. China, Japan and America are now in the vanguard of a technology in which the UK once led, as it did with nuclear fission. Arguably, the most important aspect of Miliband's plan is the green light for a fleet of small modular reactors (SMRs), though getting planning agreements past local communities will be hard. Even this has been fraught with bureaucracy and delay. A competition to find a developer for SMRs has taken two years before alighting on Rolls Royce. Why has it taken so long? The potential offered by SMRs was identified years ago; yet once again, government dithering has led to everything being done when it is too late to fill the energy gap that will threaten black-outs in a few years' time. This is because the switch to renewables, the ban on new North Sea extraction licences and the demise of coal will make the decommissioning of existing nuclear power stations even more problematic before new ones come on stream. How long before Mr Miliband's golden era turns into a dark age?

Trust no one when it comes to ID cards
Trust no one when it comes to ID cards

The Guardian

time15 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Trust no one when it comes to ID cards

Polly Toynbee posits a world in which everyone has a smartphone and all government agencies can be trusted (Digital ID cards would be good for Britain – and a secret weapon for Labour against Reform, 9 June). What colour is the sky in this world?Linda MockettWinnersh, Berkshire Am I the only one thinking about Sellafield and wondering by what stretch of the imagination nuclear power can be called 'clean' (Sizewell C power station to be built as part of UK's £14bn nuclear investment, 10 June)?Dr Nigel MellorNewcastle upon Tyne This year, I received my 50 years' service badge from Aslef – a couple of years late, but we are train drivers, after all. During my career, I always 'worked on the railway', never on the trains (Letters, 8 June). Malcolm SimpsonSalisbury, Wiltshire So is an airport a plane station or a runway station?Colin ProwerChipping Norton, Oxfordshire I am sick of hearing calls to raise the price of alcoholic beverages (Letters, 8 June). This would have little or no effect on the middle and upper classes, but would punish those on lower incomes. What next? A rise in food prices to deal with the obesity problem?Noel HannonLondon Damned bold of Dave Schilling to assume Elon Musk and Donald Trump ever had anything like friendship, as opposed to plans to exploit each other (Male friendship isn't easy. Just ask Trump and Musk, 7 June).Brandi WeedWoodland, California, US Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.

Independent Scotland would break ties with Israel, says Stephen Flynn
Independent Scotland would break ties with Israel, says Stephen Flynn

The National

time19 minutes ago

  • The National

Independent Scotland would break ties with Israel, says Stephen Flynn

Speaking to The News Agents podcast, the SNP Westminster leader also said he does not believe it would "wise" for SNP MPs to visit Israel, but he would be "amazed" if they decided to as they are "not daft". He said the UK's position on the atrocities being committed by Israel in Gaza has been "so weak for far too long". Asked if an independent Scotland under the SNP would close embassies in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv and if it would break off diplomatic relations with Israel, Flynn replied "yes" to both questions. On whether he would advise SNP MPs to not visit Israel, Flynn said: "I don't think they'd be wise to visit Israel. READ MORE: UK sanctions Israeli ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich over Gaza "I imagine they would probably get the same response that the couple of Labour MPs did at the airport a few months ago, which was where they got taken aside and turned back home." He went on: "It's up to them to decide what they want to do. I'd be amazed if any of them did, because they're not daft, and they probably know that they would get turned around and stuck on a plane right back out Israel. "Look, I'm deeply, deeply upset and angry about what's happened in Gaza and what continues to happen in Gaza, and the fact that the UK position has been so weak for far too long in respect of this. And I think it's important that you convey your views to people who are rational actors." In April, Labour MPs were denied entry to the occupied West Bank. Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang said they were "astounded at the unprecedented step taken by the Israeli authorities" to refuse British MPs entry. (Image: News Agents) A statement from the pair said they had 'spoken out in Parliament in recent months' on Israel's war on Gaza and parliamentarians "should feel free to speak truthfully in the House of Commons without fear of being targeted'. Flynn's comments come after the UK Government sanctioned two far-right Israeli ministers over their comments about Gaza. Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's security minister, and Bezalel Smotrich, finance minister, will have their assets frozen and travel bans imposed. Smotrich approved the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. He also campaigned against allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza. Ben-Gvir has advocated for the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza, and said that the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem should be replaced with a synagogue. Later on in the podcast, Flynn was asked about whether he intends to contest the leadership of the SNP in the future. READ MORE: Freedom Flotilla Coalition gives update on Madleen crew detained by Israel While he is going to campaign to become an MSP, he stressed he backs John Swinney as SNP leader and believes he can "make sure we're fighting fit to go on and win the election" at Holyrood next year. Flynn said: "It is my intention to stand for Holyrood, I'm seeking to be a candidate for the Scottish Parliament elections next year, in an area that's probably similar to the seat I hold at Westminster." He went on: "When Humza Yousaf stood down as First Minister, the first person I called to take over was John Swinney. When Nicola Sturgeon, prior to that, announced that she was standing down again, the first person I called to take over was John Swinney. Now that's a wee bit of an insight into my thinking. "And my thinking is very clear that John Swinney is by far the best person for the job. I think he's the best politician in Scotland. I think he displays that in Holyrood with acumen on a weekly basis. "And I'm pretty confident over the course of next 11 months, he can make sure we're fighting fit to go on and win the election. The polls would indicate that we are going to win the election. "But it can't be about polls. It has to be about policies and people. And when the SNP is focused on that and our ultimate goal of independence, we tend to do well."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store