SNP councillor enters European Parliament election

Tweeddale West councillor Heather Anderson, who co-owns Whitmuir Farm near West Linton, has thrown her hat in the ring to represent Scotland in Europe, at least until the UK withdraws from the EU.

Commenting on her candidacy, councillor Anderson said: “I am delighted to be selected as one of the six SNP candidates for the EU Election on 23 May.

“I am honoured to be in the company of my fellow SNP candidates and we will work as a team to ensure Scotland’s voice is heard in these elections.

“Scotland voted 62% to remain in the European Union and Scotland benefits enormously from our trade and scientific research links with Europe.

“We welcome the hard working EU nationals who come here and make Scotland their home.

“Southern Scotland has now been designated as an area entitled to greater levels of funding from the European structural fund from 2021 and, if elected, I would be fighting very hard to make sure we argue the case for enhanced support for this region.”

The European Parliament uses proportional representation, where seats are allocated to parties in proportion to their share of the vote in each region.

Each candidate is ranked by their own party in order of preference, meaning those higher up the list are much more likely to be voted in.

The SNP have not ranked their candidates yet, as they have opted to allow members to vote for their preferred candidates beforehand.

Councillor Anderson will be joined by three other Scottish Borders politicians.

Tweeddale East councillor Shona Haslam, who has been leader of Scottish Borders Council since May 2017, has been announced as a candidate for the Scottish Conservatives, while former Tweeddale West councillor Catriona Bhatia, who served on Scottish Borders Council between 2003 and 2017, has also been selected as a candidate for the Scottish Liberal Democrats.

Her father, David Steel, served as leader of the Liberal Party between 1976 and 1988, and currently sits in the House of Lords.

And Selkirkshire councillor Gordon Edgar, who is the executive member for roads and infrastructure, has also entered the race as an independent candidate.

The EU elections are scheduled to be held on Thursday, May 23, unless a withdrawal agreement can be ratified by both the UK and the EU before then.