THE independent candidate Angus MacNeil has said he is “very optimistic” about retaining his seat in Na h-Eileanan an Iar.
During the last General Election in 2019, MacNeil stood as an SNP candidate having been a member of the party for nearly 30 years.
However, in July 2023 he was given a one-week suspension from the SNP’s Westminster group following a clash with then chief whip Brendan O’Hara.
He then decided not to rejoin the party until it showed “urgency” on the issue of independence.
MacNeil served out the rest of his term as an independent MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, although did work collaboratively with Alba MPs Kenny MacAskill and Neale Hanvey.
The Alba Party decided not to run a candidate in Na h-Eileanan an Iar in order to support MacNeil’s campaign.
Despite SNP MSP Fergus Ewing urging his party to do the same, the SNP’s Susan Thomson is running for the seat.
MacNeil also faces former the former Westminster editor of the Daily Record Torcuil Crichton (below), who is running as the Labour candidate.
While some polls predict that Labour will gain the seat, MacNeil said he remains “very optimistic” about his chances of retaining it as an independent.
"It is very obvious from this dreary election across the UK and especially in Scotland that nobody particularly loves the three parties they can choose to vote for,” he said.
“The Tories are near despised, Labour will win without a vote in Scotland or the islands despite Labour being more like the Tories than at any point than ever before.
“The SNP are lost, talk about being a ‘strong voice Westminster’ instead of being an independent voice internationally in the world.
“Of course everyone in parliament is there to be a strong voice. The very word 'parliament' means 'to speak'.
“Labour are unloved with their popularity slipping in the polls, sitting sometimes at 40% and lower but the crazy undemocratic Westminster voting system looks to give them 70% of the seats.
"I am feeling very optimistic in the final week of campaigning.
“The people of Na h-Eileanan an Iar can deliver a big blow to the three largest parties to get them to sit up and take note.
“Voters in the islands in the past have never been scared to go a different way.
“It would do the Labour and SNP leadership, who will be the Westminster and Holyrood governments respectively, the world of good to get a shock from the islands.
"I am ready to continue my work of many years for all constituents, but also to deliver that shock to the big parties and with the help of voters we can do it together.”
It comes after Reform UK’s candidate in the constituency, Tony Ridden, was criticised for sharing a meme on X/Twitter which accused Muslims of worshipping Satan.
The post was removed after The Ferret approached Ridden, however the party is yet to comment on the controversy.
