‘Carpetbagging’ candidate names the wrong constituency at election hustings

John Nicolson campaigning with Nicola Sturgeon - Credit: PA Wire/PA Images

A general election candidate was booed by a hustings audience when he named the wrong constituency in his campaign speech.

The Courier will be asking Mr Nicolson about this today but I can't guarantee he won't send the response to the Kirkintilloch Herald https://t.co/ZP0mmM8ovc
— David Clegg (@davieclegg) November 27, 2019

The SNP’s John Nicolson did not even appear to realise his mistake when he told the constituents of Ochil and South Perthshire: “Only the Scottish National Party can beat the Tories here in East Dunbartonshire.”

The SNP candidate, who lost his East Dunbartonshire seat in 2017 to the Liberal Democrats’ Jo Swinson, has been accused of carpetbagging – having little connection to the seat he is now campaigning in.

He was mostly drowned out by the boos of the audience gathered at Alloa town hall as he went on to say that he had a stronger chance than the Lib Dems in this election.

With the gaffe, Nicolson appears to have squandered the boost recently given to him by tactical voting campaign group Vote for a Final Say, who have named him as one of 25 key pro-EU candidates to vote for in the general election.

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Editor of Scottish newspaper The Courier, David Clegg, captured the moment on video and added drily: “The Courier will be asking Mr Nicoson about this today but I can’t guarantee that he won’t sent the response to the Kirkintilloch Herald.”