Muldoon fails in his bid to stand for Livingston seat again

FORMER Labour MSP Bristow Muldoon has failed in his bid to stand again for the Scottish Parliament in his old Livingston seat.

Local party members instead chose Livingston South councillor Lawrence Fitzpatrick as their candidate for the renamed Almond Valley constituency at next year's Holyrood elections.

He defeated both Mr Muldoon and fellow councillor Neil Findlay in the selection contest.

Mr Muldoon was MSP for the area from 1999 to 2007, when he lost to Angela Constance of the SNP.

Cllr Fitzpatrick, 61, worked in the housing sector before being forced to retire 15 years ago after being badly injured in a car crash. He has been a councillor for 11 years.

He said he was delighted at his selection to stand for parliament, and added: "The most important issue for me is jobs and security of employment. That's the concern at the forefront of people's minds.

"We have to get people back into work and ensure we do not have a forgotten generation.

"I believe I have the experience necessary to represent the people of our area with a proven track record of achievement and service to the community."

Ms Constance had a majority of 870 over Mr Muldoon at the last Holyrood elections.