The current Central Scotland MSP will be Labour’s candidate in the seat at May’s Holyrood election.
Monica Lennon will be the Labour candidate in Rutherglen & Cambuslang for next May’s Scottish Parliament election(Image: Contributed/Rutherglen Reformer)
Monica Lennon has been announced as the Labour candidate for the newly-renamed Rutherglen & Cambuslang constituency at next year’s Scottish Parliament election.
The current Central Scotland MSP says she is “absolutely delighted and honoured to be chosen” to contest the seat, which includes her home area of Blantyre, and is now busy engaging with local community organisations across the area in the run-up to next May’s poll.
She is set to appear on the ballot paper alongside current Rutherglen MSP Clare Haughey, who is bidding to retain the constituency for the SNP for a third term and current Glasgow region MSP Annie Wells, who will be standing for the Conservatives.
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Ms Lennon has been a regional MSP since 2016 and had previously spent four years as a South Lanarkshire councillor for the Hamilton North & East ward.
She highlighted her Holyrood work including pioneering an act of parliament for the free provision of period products, leading the campaign for a national apology for women affected by historical forced adoption practices and her current work to introduce her proposed Ecocide (Scotland) Bill to criminalise severe environmental harm.
The politician describes herself as “a committed local voice” and says she “has been active on the ground” since her constituency selection, including engaging with local organisations such as Healthy ‘n’ Happy and Re:volve Recycle, where she attends a “lifeline” menopause support group, plus meeting businesses and supporting the Rutherglen 900 preparations.
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She said: This election should be about making our communities safer, stronger and healthier, tackling the housing crisis, repairing our NHS and ensuring opportunities for all. That is what I hear every day.
“The SNP is out of fresh thinking, and another divisive referendum is the last thing people here are calling for. My priority is uniting this community around shared goals, not perpetual constitutional division. I left a career as a chartered town planner to pursue transformational change.
“I always prioritise my constituents and my principles, demonstrated by my refusal to endorse damaging cuts such as those to winter fuel payments; I’m glad the UK government saw sense. While I’m proud to be part of Scottish Labour, I work with other political parties and people with different views to get the right outcomes.”
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