In the run-up to the May 7 Scottish Parliament election, we have asked all the candidates for the Moray constituency to tell us about themselves, why they are running, and their top priorities. Here, Advance UK’s Les Durance is in the spotlight.
The Advance UK candidate for Moray at this year’s Holyrood election has said the cost‑of‑living, cutting taxes and regulation and supporting local businesses are his top priorities.
Les Durance is the Advance UK candidate…Picture: Supplied
Arthur Leslie Durance, known to most as Les, was born in Bishopton, Renfrewshire, in 1946 and said he has spent a “lifetime in service”.
The party he is standing for, Advance UK, was formed in 2025 by Ben Habib, a former deputy leader of Reform UK.
Mr Durance previously stood for Reform UK at the 2021 Holyrood election, stood for the Brexit Party at the 2019 General Election, and stood for UKIP four times between 2015 and 2018.
After moving south as a teenager, he joined the British Transport Police before later moving on to the Metropolitan Police.
His service in the police last nearly 30 years, mainly in frontline community policing across South London including periods spent in CID and the Murder Squad.
Upon retiring to the Scottish Highlands in 1994, Mr Durance said he “quickly became embedded in local life”.
This included serving as the chair of the local Chamber of Commerce.
He also founded Cairngorm Outdoors Ltd, employing around 20 staff and delivering personal‑development programmes for socially excluded young people referred by local authorities for more than two decades.
Mr Durance also set out some of his priorities for his campaigning.
This included the current cost of living, which he said is currently “hitting families and small businesses hardest”.
The Advance UK candidate also supported tax cuts, along with a reduction in the level of government regulation.
He also pledged his support for cheaper energy and fuel, along with “firm backing for local enterprise”.
He added that: “Strong communities grow when businesses are supported, not burdened.”
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