Dr Eileen Duke - Scottish Green Party

The Scottish Green Party today confirmed its intention to field a candidate in the forthcoming by-election for the Westminster seat of Glasgow East. Following a weekend selection meeting, Dr Eileen Duke, a retired GP, was confirmed as the party's candidate.

Dr Duke has lived in Glasgow since 1979, and worked as a GP in the city for 23 years before retiring in 2007. She is currently the party's Co-convenor for Glasgow and the West of Scotland. Dr Eileen Duke said: "I'm delighted to have been selected, and feel it's vital that Glasgow East voters hear a clear Green message in this campaign. They have suffered from some of the worst social and environmental injustice under both Tory and Labour governments, and there's worse to come if the M74 extension is forced through the city with the support of all the other parties.

"We have a vision for community-led investment in Glasgow East, a vision for how this part of the city could again thrive and become prosperous. Labour and the SNP want people's votes for little more than a battle of egos between Brown and Salmond. We want people to vote for something more constructive, to vote Green and stand up for a sustainable future."

Dr Duke's election agent and local Green MSP Patrick Harvie added: "This will clearly be a difficult election for New Labour, given the stench of decay that hangs over the party. There are huge numbers of disillusioned voters in Glasgow East who are keen to vote for a change. Now they have that opportunity, and if they want to do more than give the Labour government a slap they can vote Green on July 24. "The people of Glasgow East can send the clearest possible message that the New Labour project has failed them, failed Scotland, failed the UK, and must be wound up as soon as possible."

From: Glasgow Greens