Parties gearing up for first December election since 1923
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The House of Commons has finally reached a decision to have the UK’s third general election in four years on December 12 – the first general election during that month since 1923.
The Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross constituency is held by the Liberal Democrats’ Jamie Stone who has served the area since 1986, first as a councillor then as an MSP before entering the Commons in 2017.
Mr Stone will be challenged by the SNP’s Karl Rosie, a Highland councillor for Thurso and Northwest Caithness. Labour’s Bill Curran was to stand for the seat but he was deselected following an internal investigation by the party regarding a number of social media posts that were reported as allegedly being “antisemitic”.
Sandra Skinner was announced as the Brexit Party candidate at the start of August but it is now understood she will not be representing Nigel Farage's party in the election.
For any candidate to unseat Mr Stone they will have to overturn his majority of 2044 following the June 2017 election when he defeated the incumbent Paul Monaghan of the SNP.
Responding to the vote in parliament for a general election, Mr Stone said: “This election is our best chance to elect a government to stop Brexit.
“The Liberal Democrats are the strongest party of Remain and the only party promising to protect both our relationship with Europe and the Union.”
Mr Stone also called on the Scottish and UK governments to work to make a winter election as safe and accessible as possible, ensuring that all people who wish to exercise their democratic right are able to do so.
Speaking in the Commons, Mr Stone said: “I represent the coldest and most northerly constituency in the British mainland.
“It is going to get dark a hell of a lot earlier where I come from than it does in St Albans, and the streets and roads are going to be an awful lot icier.
“This is perhaps an appeal for the Leader of the House but may I ask the Government to coordinate as closely as possible with the Scottish Government to make sure that the streets and roads are safe for the people who want to come out to exercise their democratic right?”
We need to put an end to the misery that the UK Government has inflicted on the most vulnerable.
Councillor Rosie is urging electors to "vote SNP on December 12 to stop Brexit and put Scotland’s future in Scotland’s hands".
He said: "In my work as a councillor for the Thurso and Northwest Caithness ward, I have led on tackling social inequality issues such as substance use in adolescents and proposed implementing initiatives such as the Icelandic model to reduce the number of drug-related deaths in the Caithness area.
"We need to put an end to the misery that the UK Government has inflicted on the country’s most vulnerable. As your MP, I will address social and welfare issues to reduce inequality in my constituency and throughout Scotland."
