SCOTTISH Labour has confirmed party grandee Douglas Alexander as its East Lothian candidate at the next General Election.
The constituency - represented by Kenny MacAskill, who was elected under the SNP banner in 2019 but later defected to Alba - is a key target seat for Labour.
MacAskill has a majority of 3,886, having taken the seat from Labour’s Martin Whitfield.
Following his selection today, Alexander tweeted: “He’s running! Humbled and grateful to be overwhelmingly selected today by local party members as Scottish Labour’s candidate for East Lothian.
"Change is coming to our country and I’m determined to play my part by winning East Lothian back for Scottish Labour.”
MacAskill (pictured below) has yet to announce if he will be a candidate at the next Westminster election - if he does, the pro-independence vote could be split between him and the still-to-be-chosen SNP candidate.
Former Scottish secretary Alexander is a familiar face within Labour, having served in both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s cabinets.
He held the Paisley and Renfrewshire South seat from 1997 to 2015 until he was ousted by the SNP’s Mhairi Black – aged just 20 at the time.
Meanwhile, charity leader Kirsty McNeill, of Cockenzie, has been selected as Scottish Labour's Westminster candidate in the Midlothian constituency.
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