I welcome Rishi Sunak’s announcement that a General Election will be held on July 4.
The time is right for the people of Scotland to choose independence and reject the decades of indifference towards Scotland shown by the unionist parties.
This shambolic Tory period of office did nothing to help Scotland. It brought only Brexit, hardship, austerity and economic chaos.
Brexit – which went against the will of the Scottish people – has brought only misery for our businesses both large and small, and raised prices for hard-pressed families.
I look forward to spending the next few weeks in Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke listening to voters and making the case for Independence and the SNP.
It has been an enormous privilege to serve Motherwell and Wishaw over the past nine years.
I have learned a tremendous amount which I have used to the benefit of this community.
I am proud of the contribution my office has made and I fully intend to fight to keep both myself and my office in place.
I embrace the opportunity that elections provide, to make the case for me as the MP and for Scotland as an Independent nation.
The latter has been too long in coming.
Now is the time to increase the pressure and face up to Westminster after the Tories’ 14 years of abject failure.
Only the SNP can do that.