Robert Brown re-selected for Rutherglen Liberal Democrat Challenge

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 29th Aug 2006

Robert Brown MSP set to take on Labour at the next Scottish election

Glasgow Liberal Democrat MSP Robert Brown has been re-selected to fight the Rutherglen seat for the Liberal Democrats in the Scottish Parliamentary elections next year. Robert lives in Burnside, and is a solicitor by profession. He is currently Deputy Minister for Education and Young People in the Scottish Executive.

The Liberal Democrats have long seen Rutherglen as one of their best prospects in the West of Scotland. The Party stands second to Labour at all levels of election across the Rutherglen constituency. They see the contest in 2007 as their best prospect for many years, particularly as the well respected sitting Labour MSP, Janis Hughes, is standing down.

The news comes at a time when support for the Liberal Democrats has risen both in Scotland and UK wide. An ICM poll revealed that national support across the UK for the Liberals has risen 5 points; whilst a recent Scottish Opinion poll showed the Lib Dems are 4 points up north of the border.

Constituency Chair David Jackson said: "Robert Brown is a very popular local candidate. He is the candidate the Labour Party fear the most. This will be a very close contest."

Robert Brown said: "I am delighted to be taking up the Liberal Democrat banner in Rutherglen and Cambuslang again. More people than ever before are turning to the Liberal Democrats and our recent by election victory in the King's Park Ward in this constituency shows the writing's on the wall for the Labour Party, particularly following Labour's trouncing by the Liberal Democrats in Dunfermline in February. We are the challengers both in Rutherglen and across Scotland.

Robert continued:

"Liberal Democrats have a fantastic record of success in the Scottish Parliament to build on. The abolition of student tuition fees, the introduction of free personal care for the elderly, opening up of the government machine with freedom of information legislation, and reform of the Council voting system to make it more democratic and representative are some of the highlights. But we have played a large part in important education and health improvements too, and gone a long way towards putting environmental issues at the centre of government action.

"Over the next few months, we will be leading the agenda again with radical new ideas to give more opportunities and life chances to young people, to end Scotland's dependence on nuclear energy, to invest substantially in renewable energies, and to build up local communities in towns, burghs and villages across Scotland."

ends

Related Link:

www.robertbrown.org.uk.