Lib Dem candidate: I'm home and ready for election campaign

And the suntanned councillor said he was relieved to get back to the Capital just two days later than planned after getting caught up in the flights backlog caused by the volcanic ash cloud.

He said he had spent two days queuing at Sydney airport and also approached the British consul to help him get home.

He said: "I was extremely concerned I was going to be away longer than expected.

"I even tried to get the British Consul to help. I told him I was a candidate in the election and asked him if that was any help in trying to get an earlier flight.

"He couldn't help. He said there were people who were higher priority and quite rightly pointed out some people would be trying to get back for funerals.

"I spent a couple of nightmare days queuing for four or five hours at the airport, along with other people. There was quite a strange, panicky atmosphere."

Councillor McKay eventually managed to get a flight and has now resumed campaigning in Edinburgh South West – with less than two weeks to go to polling day. He had jetted off to Australia – to attend a christening – just days before Gordon Brown officially confirmed the date of the election. One Lib Dem insider complained it was "absolutely ridiculous" that any candidate should leave the country for such a prolonged spell during an election campaign.

Cllr McKay said he had been in Australia for the christening of the grandson of Edinburgh boxer Jackie Brown.

"Jackie's son Johnston is a tennis coach in Sydney. I've known him for many years, his son Geordie was getting christened, I was asked to be godfather and I was very pleased and honoured to do that."

Cllr McKay used to lecture at the University of Western Sydney, so he also took time during his trip to catch up with friends.

He said: "It would not have been possible to go straight out and straight back. For all the effort and expense, most people would need to be out there for a wee while."

But Cllr McKay insisted he had warned the party when he was selected as candidate in September last year that he would be away for part of April.

"I knew there was a risk of the election being called, but I expected to be back more than two weeks before polling day.

"Both Clifton Terrace (Lib Dem headquarters] and the constituency party were completely aware."

He added: "It's not as if nothing was happening while I was away. I was answering e-mails from constituents and staying in touch with the campaign. Things were ticking over despite my absence."

Alistair Darling had a majority of 7,242 in Edinburgh South West over the Tories at the last general election, with the Lib Dems third.

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