Local councillor Christopher Cowdy has been selected by the Scottish Conservative and Unionist party to stand in the Edinburgh South Seat.
He has served the Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart ward on Edinburgh City Council since May 2022.
Cllr Cowdy sits on both the Transport and Environment Committee and Education Committees as well as the board of Edinburgh Leisure.
He lives in the Edinburgh South constituency with his wife and their two children who were also educated in the area.
Christopher – who was born and raised in Northern Ireland – has lived in the capital for over thirty years since graduating and spent 14 years as a general practice surveyor.
Alongside being a local councillor, he also owns a magazine publishing company which helps promote local businesses and inform residents across the city.
He says he is “honoured” to have been chosen by local party members to fight the seat. Christopher says voters in Edinburgh South have a chance to send Humza Yousaf and the SNP the “strongest possible message” about their “appalling” record during their 17 years in power in Scotland, in particular in “destroying” Scotland’s once world-leading education system.
Cllr Cowdy said: “I am honoured to have been selected by local members for the Edinburgh South seat at the General Election.
“I live in the constituency and my children went to the local High school. I have loved living in the capital for over thirty years and was delighted when voters in Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart put their faith in me at the council elections in 2022.
“I would be equally honoured if voters in Edinburgh South put their faith in me at the ballot box at the General Election.
“The General Election offers people a chance to send the strongest possible message to Humza Yousaf and the SNP on their appalling record during 17 years in power, and ensure they don’t just have a bad night, but a terrible one.
“In particular, they have destroyed Scotland’s once world-leading education system and have miserably failed to reduce the poverty-related attainment gap in our schools, despite insisting education is their top priority.
“Labour’s planned attack on independent schools will put our local schools under even more pressure.”
“I want to focus on Edinburgh South’s real priorities such as protecting schools and improving education, cutting NHS waiting times, growing our economy and keeping our communities safe.
“I am looking forward to getting out and speaking to voters in the coming weeks and months about the issues that matter to them.”
Edinburgh South has been held by Ian Murray MP who held the seat in 2019 with a majority of 11,905 and who was first elected to Westminster in 2010.
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