Mhairi Black 'quit' candidate loses his general election bid

The candidate Mhairi Black threatened to quit over has lost his bid to run in the general election.

Robert Innes, a local councillor who works for the Paisley and Renfrewshire South MP, aimed to become the SNP candidate for the area when Black steps down at the next general election.

Holyrood was told that he initially failed vetting and an appeal on the matter and that Black told party bosses she would quit on the eve of the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election unless this was overturned.

Innes was subsequently announced as a prospective candidate, running against Jacqueline Cameron, the depute leader of Renfrewshire Council.

News of Black's ultimatum, exclusively revealed by Holyrood, caused anger in the local SNP and sent shockwaves across the party. However, she made no response to Holyrood's approaches and has made no public statement on the matter. She also declined to respond to the question of whether she is committed to serving out her term as depute leader of the SNP at Westminster.

Innes, the partner of Scottish Government children's minister Natalie Don, also made no response to Holyrood's report that he had threatened to step down from the council's SNP grouping over the matter.

Now it has emerged that Innes has lost his selection bid, with Cameron winning by 60 per cent of the vote.

Other newly announced candidates for the SNP include former MP Stephen Gethins, who will stand in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, and Toni Giugliano, who will go before voters in Falkirk.

The eight candidates announced this afternoon are as follows:

Arbroath & Broughty Ferry - Stephen Gethins

Caithness, Sutherland & Ross - Lucy Beattie

Central Ayrshire - Annie McIndoe

Dunfermline & Dollar - Brian Goodall

Falkirk - Toni Giugliano

Glenrothes & Mid Fife - John Beare

Hamilton & Clyde Valley - Ross Clark

Paisley & Renfrewshire South - Jacqueline Cameron