Gordon Brown backs Douglas Alexander as former Labour minister eyes return to frontline politics
dailyrecord.co.ukGordon Brown has backed former MP Douglas Alexander in his bid to return to frontline politics at Westminster.The former Prime Minister praised his ally’s “tireless commitment” to Scotland and “dedication” to ending poverty.He also endorsed Kirsty McNeill, who was a special adviser to Brown in Downing Street, to become an MP.Labour are in the process of selecting candidates for a general election the party hopes will lead to the toppling of the Conservatives.Seats are being twinned by gender as a way of trying to have an equal balance of male and female MPs.The East Lothian and Midlothian seats have been paired and Alexander, an MP in Paisley between 1997 and 2005 who served in the Cabinet, is eyeing a comeback.His email to members contains an endorsement by Brown, who is considered his political mentor:“In the decades that I’ve worked with Douglas, I’ve seen at first hand his tireless commitment to Scotland, his dedication to ending poverty at home and his great work for social justice abroad.“This, his prodigious work rate, and the qualities that made him excel as a highly praised Cabinet Minister at the centre of the Labour Government – heading Transport, the Scotland Office, and International Development – demonstrate why he will make a great local MP.”Alexander’s pitch states: “I want to play my part in securing a Labour Government, to replace the moral and economic failure of 12 years of Tory chaos and self-interest."The Conservatives’ only answer to their own failure is to propose further anti trade union legislation: together we must stop them.
They’re not fit for government. We need to work to ensure Keir Starmer becomes Prime Minister and Anas Sarwar, First Minister.”Brown wrote of McNeill: “Kirsty McNeill is
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