A COUNCILLOR seeking to succeed Mhairi Black as an MP has said she wants to address poverty and disadvantage "wherever I find it".
Jacqueline Cameron, who is currently the depute leader of Renfrewshire Council, has put her name forward to replace Mhairi Black and be the SNP candidate in Paisley and Renfrewshire South for the forthcoming General Election.
Describing herself as a passionate anti-poverty campaigner, Cameron – who has been a councillor since 2017 – said she wanted to fight for the needs of communities and was determined to add her name to a growing list of female SNP MPs.
Black announced earlier this year that she would vacate the seat, calling Westminster a “toxic” environment.
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Black’s staffer Robert Innes – who is a councillor in Linwood - also announced he was seeking nomination last week.
Cameron, who lives in the Renfrewshire village of Kilbarchan, told The National: “I was delighted to be approved as a potential candidate and am seeking the honour of representing the area in which I live.
“I intend to fight for the needs of our communities, with great local knowledge, experience and a deep passion to address poverty and disadvantage wherever I find it.
“I respect the decision of Mhairi Black to stand down and share her disgust at how the Tories have ignored the needs of our communities.
“We need that continued strong voice for Paisley and Renfrewshire South, and that’s why, after being encouraged by others to stand, I have put my name forward for SNP members to consider.
“The SNP has made great progress in getting female MPs elected and I look forward to adding to their ranks.
“But I wouldn’t intend to go to Westminster to settle down In the words of our dear, departed SNP legend Winnie Ewing, I wouldn’t be going to ‘settle down’, but to ‘settle up’ and secure our independence.
“The immediate priority is the cost of living crisis, and I would offer a real alternative to Labour’s imitation of the Tories.”
Cameron insisted she intended to expose Labour’s “hypocrisy” despite the party talking up its chances of winning the seat.
Black ousted Labour’s Douglas Alexander in 2015 when she was just 20 and still a student.
Cameron became the first female SNP depute leader in Renfrewshire Council last year and has been appointed to chair the Fairer Renfrewshire sub-committee, which is a council-led body aiming to make Renfrewshire a fairer place to live, work and study.
Ballots for selecting a candidate for the seat will open on Thursday.
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