Scottish Greens unveil by-election candidate to replace COVID rule-breaker Margaret Ferrier

The Scottish Greens have announced their candidate in the forthcoming by-election to replace COVID rule-breaker Margaret Ferrier.

Cameron Eadie, 20, has entered the race for the Rutherglen and Hamilton West seat after a successful recall petition ousted Ms Ferrier from Westminster earlier this month.

His campaign will focus on tackling the climate crisis, securing Scotland’s return to the European Union as an independent nation, and eradicating child poverty.

Mr Eadie said: “It’s my generation and the next being left to deal with the carnage caused by successive Tory and Labour governments and their failures on climate.

“In fact it is worse than failure, they are actively causing climate breakdown.

“Rishi Sunak has announced a new coal mine and has now committed to more than 100 new licences to drill for oil and gas. It’s climate vandalism.

“Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour are ditching their own climate plans, refusing to cancel those new oil and gas licences and rolling back on efforts to protect people from dangerous air pollution.

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“That’s not climate leadership, that’s guilty pleas by climate criminals. We see for ourselves the apocalyptic scenes of devastation caused by this mind of inaction. Do they not realise that’s the future we face if they do nothing?”

Mr Eadie was born in Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, and grew up in East Kilbride and Hamilton, both South Lanarkshire, before studying a MA in Social and Public Policy at the University of Glasgow.

He was an intern with the John Smith Centre working with now First Minister Humza Yousaf to focus on his specialist interest in health policy.

He has also been a support worker with mental health charity SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health), and youth advisor with King’s College London.

Motivated by the climate crisis and equality, he joined the Scottish Greens in South Lanarkshire after the 2021 elections.

Mr Eadie said his party is “delivering the change needed”, including free bus travel for young people, investing record amounts in nature restoration, and removing peak-time rail fares from this October.

He added: “I’m standing in this election because Green voices have never been so vital.

“Every single vote for the Scottish Greens will be a vote against the Westminster status quo, a vote for change, and a vote for people and for planet. It’s as simple as that.”

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Ms Ferrier lost her parliamentary seat following a successful recall petition that was triggered in June after she was suspended from the Commons for 30 days for breaching COVID rules.

The then-MP was ruled to have damaged the reputation of the Commons and put people at risk after taking part in a debate in Westminster and travelling by train while suffering from coronavirus in September 2020.

Following her breach, she was later charged by police and ordered to undertake 270 hours of unpaid work.

A date for the by-election is yet to be set.

Ms Ferrier has already announced that she will not stand in the contest.

Scottish Labour plan to put forward teacher Michael Shanks as their candidate.

Mr Shanks previously said he would fight “for a whole suite of measures to lift people out of poverty like Labour did when they were last in government”.

The SNP intend to field South Lanarkshire councillor Katy Loudon.

Ms Loudon said: “A vote for the SNP is a vote to reject cruel Westminster policies, tackle the cost of living crisis, and deliver a strong team of MPs who only answer to their constituents and Scotland – not Westminster.”

Glasgow councillor Thomas Kerr will battle it out for the Scottish Conservatives.

Meghan Gallacher MSP, deputy leader of the Scottish Tories, said the party would seek to tackle the cost of living crisis, fix the NHS and strengthen the economy.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats will champion data analyst Gloria Adebo.

Ms Adebo, from Rutherglen, said: “In this by-election, I will be focused on the issues that matter to local people.

“That means bringing down bills for households struggling with the cost of living and ensuring that people can access healthcare close to home and within a reasonable time.”

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