Four battle it out for candidacy

Published on Wednesday 13 January 2010 08:59

FOUR hopefuls will fight it out to become the Labour candidate seeking to win Edinburgh East back from the SNP at the next Holyrood elections.

Former council leader Ewan Aitken, former Lord Provost Lesley Hinds, Leith Walk councillor Angela Blacklock and former councillor Shami Khan have all put their names forward.

Edinburgh East has traditionally been safe Labour territory, but Scottish Nationalist Kenny MacAskill won the constituency at the 2007 Scottish Parliament elections after Labour's Susan Deacon stood down.

Councillor Aitken, whose Craigentinny/Duddingston ward makes up a large part of the constituency, and Councillor Hinds, who was the first female leader of Edinburgh District Council, are seen as the favourites.

A final decision will be made in early March.

Ex-Craigmillar councillor Paul Nolan is backing Cllr Hinds. He said: "Lesley Hinds has been a great supporter of our work in Craigmillar, especially our multi-cultural work with ethnic minorities. She would be an excellent MSP, someone who could challenge and beat Kenny MacAskill."