Labour candidate denies 'running scared' ahead of crucial by-election
The Scottish Labour candidate for the Hamilton, Larkhall, and Stonehouse by-election has said he is 'not running scared' amid accusations that he is avoiding the media.
Davy Russell had been accused of being the 'invisible man' by his opponents after he refused to take part in an STV debate ahead of the vote on June 5.
On TikTok, Reform candidate Ross Lambie accused Russell of 'hiding from scrutiny and TV debates'.
The social media video showed him on the hunt for the Scottish Labour candidate in the constituency as Queen's 'The Invisible Man' played alongside the caption 'Where's Davy?'.
It was also insinuated that the Labour party may have had concerns about Russell's ability to speak live on TV after his contributions to a social media video posted by Scottish secretary Ian Murray had to be heavily edited last week.
However, Russell was keen to clear the air on Wednesday afternoon.
He told STV News that he was 'certainly not' the invisible man of the by-election campaign, and denied that he was 'running scared'.
'I can take you to any area in this constituency and I am better known than any of the other candidates,' he said.
'I made a conscious decision that I'd go back to grassroots and fight on the doorstep, listen to people's concerns and the real issues that affect them. It's OK doing a debate that goes to the whole of Scotland, but really, you're not listening to people.'
Russell said he's been knocking on doors and talking to constituents – a strategy he says has been appreciated by locals.
He said: 'There was one door I went to the other day and the man says 'The last person to chap my door was George Robertson'. How long ago was he MP for this area?'
Russell also said his opponents are 'not actually chapping doors to any significant amount'.
He claimed they've done 'plenty of leaflet posting', but accused them of 'not actually speaking to people'.
'[Talking to people] is more appreciated than a TV debate. Come with me and you'll see what I'm talking about,' Russell added.
Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
11 minutes ago
- BBC News
'Dundee's off-pitch unpredictably never fails to deliver'
Dundee's unpredictability both on and off the pitch never fails to stun the football world.'Elvis' has entered the building and his reception is far from ideal from the Dundee support. The overriding feeling is Steven Pressley's appointment doesn't inspire confidence as his record is littered with sackings, and losing more games than he has won, before a six-year hiatus from Tony Docherty was dismissed for underperforming, supporters were expecting a statement appointment or perhaps something left-field with names like Temur Ketsbaia and David Healy there is more to Pressley than meets the eye. He ticks boxes that align with the role of head coach compared to the traditional football is experienced with over 340 matches as a manager and enjoyed a successful period in his last stint in Scotland with Falkirk. He has a proven track record in youth development, notably at Falkirk, where he helped develop Murray Wallace, Jay Fulton, Lyle Taylor and Stephen recently he was in the Premier League with Brentford, developing players to fit a very good team at the elite level - working with those standards at Dundee will hold him in good reputation among the players he's coached also seems positive. and Pressley appears well respected within the industry. He emerged as the standout candidate for both John Nelms and Gordon Strachan for good head coach model might very well prove to be a masterstroke. When you reflect on previous managers, a recurring theme emerges - flawed decision-making in recruitment and squad Hartley chucked away Martin Boyle, Jim McAlister and Gary Harkins, all on frees when they all still had so much to offer. The replacements weren't near the appropriate McCann had no plan B, while his foreign imports clearly required time they did not have to adjust to the Scottish McPake allowed both Leigh Griffiths and Jason Cummings to depart during a relegation battle, while remaining fiercely loyal to players out of their Docherty couldn't balance the young squad with experienced players and left us very light up front (Simon Murray is our only contracted forward).If Strachan, David Longwell and the recruitment team can take a weight off Pressley's shoulders and allow him to focus solely on getting results on the pitch, then this model will be an interesting development to watch fans are fickle. If Pressley gets off to a winning start he will win over his doubters. While they are upset at his winning record, they're also desperate for the new head coach to mend that with is hungry and has a point to prove. The fans will be satisfied once they can see this new set-up walking the walk instead of talking the talk. In other words, a little less conversation, a little more action please.
Scotsman
13 minutes ago
- Scotsman
URC chief addresses breakaway league and free-to-air potential for Scottish clubs
Little prospect of women's URC in near future Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Any free-to-air coverage of Scottish clubs in the BKT United Rugby Championship is likely to come via YouTube rather than traditional TV broadcasters, according to Martin Anayi, the URC's chief executive. Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh compete in the 16-team league with clubs from Ireland, Wales, Italy and South Africa but have been something of an outlier as their games have never been broadcast on terrestrial TV. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad While broadcasters in the other competing nations have shown matches free to air, both BBC Scotland and STV have not. Rugby fans in Scotland - and the rest of the UK and Ireland - can subscribe to Premier Sports, the pay-TV station which shows every URC game. In addition, TG4 shows some free-to-air coverage in Ireland and talks are ongoing with Welsh language station SC4 to provide similar in Wales. Martin Anayi, chief executive of the BKT United Rugby Championship. | URC It is a situation that moved former Scottish Rugby chief Mark Dodson to say he felt 'embarrassed' that no broadcaster in Scotland was willing to show free-to-air coverage of the new URC when it was launched in 2021. While STV announced a partnership with Premier Sports this year to stream URC matches, it is a paid-for service. Any free-to-air coverage is likely to come via YouTube, said Anayi, who envisages working more closely with Premier. 'Premier Sports do a wonderful job, especially around the offering in Scotland,' said Anayi. 'They've got a lot of football and it's a very good viewership for Premier Sports in Scotland. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I think we're working with Premier Sports to see, actually, is there a free-to-air angle? We might look around YouTube, for example. That, I think, allows us to grow a younger audience without affecting the subscriber audience and will allow us to drive digitally a fan base, a viewership which is growing day by day towards Premier Sports over time.' Premier Sports has covered the United Rugby Championship since its inception in 2021. | SNS Group Anayi, speaking at an end-of-season media call, said the URC was in a good place, with attendances up 14 per cent year on year, averaging just below 12,000 per game. Asked about the threat from a putative breakaway league which has been claimed to offer a 'generational change in rugby', Anayi said his focus was only on improving the URC. The breakaway plan is being led by former England international Mike Tindall. Called R360, the so-called 'revolutionary blueprint' is said to involve a franchise model which would target the world's best players. 'What we do is just focus on ourselves,' said Anayi. 'We've got big games, like we had 80,000 at Croke Park for the Leinster-Munster game. We encourage those big games. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We're in big cities but we're about community as well. We're about being part of an ecosystem, which we care deeply about, that has grassroots at one end and international rugby at another. We play a really important part in that pyramid. We're just focused on making the URC as great as possible. I think if we do that, that's all we can control.' Anayi also played down the prospects of a women's URC, something that was first floated in 2022. 'I don't think it works, especially with travel,' said Anayi. 'I think that's a key element. We've got to grow something that is sustainable in the women's game. The money that's there for the men's game isn't there for the women's game.'
The Independent
18 minutes ago
- The Independent
University of Edinburgh lecturers to walk out over planned £140m cuts
Lecturers at the University of Edinburgh are set to walk out in a dispute over the university's refusal to rule out 'unacceptable' compulsory redundancies as part of plans to save £140 million. The action will see members of the University and College Union (UCU) strike during an open day on June 20, followed by a further five-day walkout in September to coincide with the university's 'welcome week' for new students. Union members are also set to take part in action short of a strike, including working to contract, not covering for absent colleagues, and a 'possible marking and assessment boycott'. The UCU announced the action following a ballot which saw a 60% turnout, with 84% backing strikes and 93% voting in favour of action short of a strike. The news came on the same day university principal Professor Sir Peter Mathieson appeared before a Holyrood committee, where he defended his six-figure salary and acknowledged the university is not in deficit. Sophia Woodman, UCU Edinburgh University branch president, said it is 'not too late' for the strike to be averted, and she called on senior management to rule out compulsory redundancies. 'Staff want a sustainable future for the university as much as anybody and we want to work with senior management to end this dispute,' she said. 'But we're clear that the use of compulsory redundancies is unacceptable. 'With the resources and reserves held by the university it can easily afford to rule out sacking staff. 'The decision to let the strike continue, with all the disruption to students that it entails and a possible marking and assessment boycott, is a matter of choice for Peter Mathieson and the university senior management. 'The union's door is open to talks and I'd appeal to them to heed this final warning, rule out compulsory redundancies and end this unnecessary dispute.' The union claimed the proposed £140 million of cuts would be the 'largest ever' made by a university in Scotland, and said management have failed to make a case for cuts of this size while at the same time planning 'record' investment in buildings and infrastructure. It added that research and teaching staff are the 'backbone' of the university, and cutting them rather than buildings is a 'false economy'. Jo Grady, UCU general secretary, said: 'UCU members at Edinburgh University are ready and willing to strike to save jobs and save this university, but disruption can still be avoided. 'Edinburgh University is a wealthy university with, at the last count, over £3 billion in its reserves. 'The Scottish Government should follow the lead of ministers in Wales and call on universities to use their reserves to avoid job losses.' The union said walkouts will take place on June 20 and September 8-12, with action short of a strike beginning on June 20. Responding to the announcement, Sir Peter said: 'We have been transparent about the savings urgently needed to secure our financial footing, with forecasts showing that we will be in deficit from the next financial year should we not act now. 'Failure to take preventative steps would leave us in an unsustainable situation, requiring deeper savings. 'We respect colleagues' right to take part in industrial action, and will do all we can to minimise disruption to students should this take place. 'We will also continue to work with our joint trade unions as plans develop to deliver these savings.'
