THE Scottish Greens have confirmed that a record number of candidates will stand for the party at the next General Election.
Co-leader Lorna Slater told their party conference in Edinburgh that it is on course to smash its previous record of 31 candidates set in the 2015 General Election.
A party spokesperson confirmed to The National that number is set to increase.
The Scottish Greens' list of candidates has been confirmed to be running at 32, but even more candidates are still yet to be selected by branches.
READ MORE: Scottish Greens take council seat from Labour after by-election win
Slater told delegates in a lecture theatre at Edinburgh Napier University’s Craiglockhart campus: “We want as many people as possible to have the chance to vote for the Scottish Greens and for our vision.
“We want as many people as possible to be able to vote for climate action and equality.
“I’m delighted to announce today that the Scottish Greens will be standing more candidates than ever before at the upcoming General Election.”
She added that the UK Tory government is “ not fit for purpose” and has “broken its promises to the people”.
“It has failed in every single duty. It has cost jobs, it has cost lives and it is time for them to go,” she said.
“Labour have already reversed their position on climate action. The Scottish Greens belong in every election, at every level of government, from councils, to Holyrood and beyond.”
Slater previously said election competition between the SNP and the Greens will not fundamentally affect the Bute House Agreement, where the two parties work together in the Scottish Government.
She said the parties can have “grown-up” disagreements, adding: “We are different political parties with different priorities and the General Election is our chance to set that out to the people of Scotland, and next year we will do that.
“Yes, we’re going to stand against each other. Yes, we disagree on these items.
“But none of that changes the fact that we care very much about child poverty. We care about creating green jobs, making the energy transition, we care about investing in the future of Scotland.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel