Whiteford Selected as SNP Candidate for UK Election

Eilidh Whiteford has been re-selected to contest the Banff & Buchan constituency for the Scottish National Party at the UK General Election on 7 May.

Eilidh was the sole nominee and was unanimously re-selected by SNP branches within the constituency. This will be Eilidh’s second election campaign for Banff & Buchan, having won the seat in the 2010 election.
Since succeeding Alex Salmond as Banff & Buchan’s MP, Eilidh has maintained the high work-rate which constituents have come to expect from their SNP representatives, dealing with literally thousands of cases on behalf of local people and raising concerns with Government Ministers and public officials, being accessible through surgeries and visits to community groups, and is assiduous in speaking up for Banff & Buchan in the House of Commons, as evidenced by her “well above-average” number of contributions to debates.

Speaking following her nomination, Eilidh Whiteford said:

“It has been my great honour and privilege to represent the people of Banff & Buchan in the Westminster Parliament for these past 5 years and I am very pleased to have been reselected to stand again in May’s election.

“I’m very proud to have been selected once again by the local SNP as their candidate. Locally, the party goes into this campaign in better heart and better resourced than ever before. With a huge increase in membership during the last four months and with roots in all parts of this wonderful constituency the SNP is relishing this campaign.

“I will be standing on my record of speaking up for my constituents, be that at Westminster or in my approaches on their behalf to public bodies, and on seeking to secure the best deal from government, be that at Westminster, Scottish or local level, for Banff & Buchan.

“In the course of the campaign I will outline my priorities and use the campaign to highlight several local issues from across the constituency. But with the SNP currently standing at over 40% in the opinion polls for Westminster and if this translated into MPs we could secure our largest ever group of MPs and possibly hold the balance of power. We will ensure that the powers promised for Scotland are delivered and we will use any and every opportunity to progress Scotland’s agenda and deliver for the people of Scotland.”

Convener of Banff & Buchan SNP Norma Thomson added:

“Eilidh has been a first class representative for Banff & Buchan during her time in office and I’m delighted she has been reselected unanimously to be the SNP candidate at the forthcoming UK General Election.

“She has spoken up in the House of Commons for Banff & Buchan and its people without fear or favour and has one of the best records for doing so amongst all MPs across all the parties and we’re fortunate to have such a good local candidate as our MP.”

Read more...

'Modo Matters' Says Local MP

Banff & Buchan MP Eilidh Whiteford has praised the work of CircoModo Aberdeenshire. The SNP MP was attending the 'Modo Matters' Awards last night in Peterhead where she presented the Saltire Ascent Awards.

Martin Danziger and Eilidh Whiteford MP with
some of the young people involved in CircoModo

Commenting, Eilidh said:

“I was delighted to be able to present these awards to so many talented young people.

“Modo is a real asset to the community and the shows they have put on over the years in Macduff, Fraserburgh, Peterhead and Mintlaw have been truly spectacular.

“While everyone can appreciate the spectacle of the public performance, in a lot of ways, the real value of Modo is the work it does with young people in developing their confidence, helping them to work in co-operation with others and giving them a sense of pride in what they do and in their civic community.

“Martin Danziger and his team deserve our thanks for their efforts and I look forward to the next community event from Modo.”

Read more...

"Westminster Holds the Purse-Strings" on Scotland's Budget

SNP VOTES TO PROTECT SCOTTISH NHS
The Scottish National Party has today supported calls for increased public spending on the NHS in England following a debate in the House of Commons.

Speaking during the debate, Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP said:

“The reality of devolution is that Westminster holds the purse strings. The funding formula by which the devolved governments receive their block grants is directly related to budget decisions made for England in devolved policy areas.

“The truth is that there has been a 10% cut in Scotland’s fiscal resource budget since 2010, and a 26% real terms cut in Scotland’s capital budget. Nevertheless, the Scottish Government has increased the Health resource budget by 4.6% in real terms – and every penny of additional budget consequentials accruing from health spending has been spent on health. This coming year, health spending in Scotland will break the £12 billion pound barrier for the first time.

“The practical consequences of increased health spending in Scotland can be seen in record staffing levels – up 6.5% overall, with record numbers of consultants, over 1700 more nurses, and a 7% increase in GPs under the SNP Government.

“Efforts to join-up health and social care that are threatened by the austerity agenda and the cuts that both front benches seem to have shackled themselves to. Local authority budgets are already under pressure and further cuts in the public services they provide, including the preventative and early interventions they fund, risks driving up still further the pressures on the NHS.”

Read more...

Large Turnout for SNP Burns Supper in Fraserburgh

Around 180 guests attended last Saturday night’s Scottish National Party Burns Supper, held at Fraserburgh Leisure Centre. Former First Minister Alex Salmond MSP was guest of honour and proposed the immortal memory.

Banff & Buchan MP Dr Eilidh Whiteford chaired the evening’s proceedings, while Keith & Cullen councillor Gary Coull proposed the Toast to the Lassies, which was replied to by Cllr Pearl Paul, Leader of the SNP Group on Moray Council. Recitations were provided throughout the evening from Kevin Lamb and Sandy Noble gave the Address to the Haggis in fine style.

Commenting, local MP Dr Eilidh Whiteford said:

"I was delighted with the huge turnout, which is testament to the big increase in SNP membership experienced locally. The attendance at the Burns Supper is one of the biggest we’ve had and meant we had to put a limit on the number of tickets we could sell.

“Credit must go to the management and staff at Fraserburgh Leisure Centre for their efficiency on the night and of course the excellent meal they provided.

“The SNP in Banff & Buchan is going from strength to strength thanks to the efforts of our hardworking team of volunteers, which has expanded greatly over the last few months.”

Read more...