Robertson “focused on beating Tories and Reform” in Edinburgh Central

SNP candidate, Angus Robertson, has said that he is “focused on beating the Tories and Reform” when asked who his main challenger is in the upcoming Scottish parliamentary election.

Robertson was elected as the MSP for the consituency in 2021, flipping the seat back to the SNP after former Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson held it since 2016. 

Central has become somewhat of a question mark ahead of the election on 7 May, with a redistribution of the constituency’ boundaries leading some to predict a potential upset.

Robertson made the comments while visiting The Yard, a charity for disabled children in Edinburgh, alongside Education Secretary, Jenny Gilruth, and Cllr Euan Hyslop, who is standing as the SNP candidate in Edinburgh Northern.

When asked who he thought his main challenger was, Robertson was initially elusive.

He said: “The main challenger in any election is turnout and making sure that we get people to exercise and use their vote. 

“If we get everybody who says that they want to have an SNP, MSP in Edinburgh Central, we can win, which is why I’m working so hard to speak to as many of them as possible.”

Pressed to name a party he considered his main challenger, Robertson added: “The electorate will determine who that is. I am particularly focused on beating the Tories and beating Reform.

“Progressive voters who might previously have considered voting Greens or Labour, if they want to make sure that we’re beating the Tories and Reform in Edinburgh Central, they should vote SNP, and they should vote for Angus Robertson.”

Morningside and parts of Marchmont are now part of the constituency, with the former being historically a Conservative stronghold, while areas in the north-west of the city are now removed from the constituency.

With the Scottish Conservatives suffering low polling numbers throughout Scotland, the Scottish Greens have set their sights on winning the constituency with their candidate, Lorna Slater, despite rarely challenging in previous elections.

Last week, Reform UK’s candidate for Edinburgh Central, Gary Neill, claimed that the planet “doesn’t have a climate crisis or climate emergency”. Robertson responded by calling Neill’s claims “not responsible and not sensible.”

Loading…

Taking too long?

Reload document

| Open in new tab