North Ayrshire general election candidates make last plea to voters

And ahead of polling day on Thursday, July 4, we have been asking candidates for the local seat to set out their views on a range of issues.

This week, with the big day so close, we have had seven candidates respond as to why you should vote for them later this week.

Patricia Gibson (SNP)

Patricia Gibson, SNP candidate for North Ayrshire and Arran. (Image: Submitted)

At elections, the media focuses on ‘the swing’ from one party to another, showing likely outcomes, assuming every community votes in a similar way.

They don’t of course. If they did, MPs who diligently serve their constituents would fare no better or worse than those who didn’t.

However, most people are fair-minded and many choose to vote for someone proven to be an active, approachable, effective and conscientious MP.

Whether in the constituency or at Westminster, I have sought to be a strong voice for the people and communities of North Ayrshire and Arran.

During the last UK Parliament, I assisted 16,000 constituents, spoke 786 times and voted in 726 divisions.

When so many are disillusioned by politics, a dedicated, hardworking MP, championing your case and ensuring your voice is heard, has never been more important, even if you don’t share my belief in independence.

So many have suffered from Tory economic incompetence and cost of living crisis. Yet, Labour offers little change and already runs councils such as Edinburgh, Fife, North and South Lanarkshire, Stirling and West Lothian only with Tory support.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies, International Monetary Fund, Institute for Government and Resolution Foundation all say Labour will cut £18,000 million from public services, including local government and the NHS.

SNP MPs are crucial to opposing that austerity agenda.

On July 4, vote for me to oppose cuts to Scotland’s budget, protect our NHS and public services and put Scotland's interests first, on which the SNP will never compromise.

Irene Campbell (Labour)

Irene Campbell, Labour candidate for North Ayrshire and Arran. (Image: Submitted)

I firmly believe that Scotland’s best days lie ahead of us.

Since being selected in January, along with a team of volunteers we have spoken to thousands of voters across the constituency. People have been telling us how the cost of living crisis is affecting them, the impact of NHS waiting times, difficulty accessing GP appointments, public transport and more. There is particular concern over the unreliability of the Arran ferry service and route.

In recent years our towns, rural and island communities have suffered due to austerity and lack of investment from both UK and Scottish governments.

The lack of investment and robust planning in ferries and the port of Ardrossan is a clear example with the local economy badly affected.

With a Labour government we can change that. Scottish Labour has an ambitious plan which will address our local priorities. Our manifesto sets out to:

• Deliver economic stability
• Cut NHS waiting times by investing more in the NHS
• As part of our green prosperity plans – set up Great British Energy and bring down the cost of household utility bills
• Make work pay with our new deal for working people – banning zero hour contracts, raising the minimum wage, full employment rights from day one for all workers, including sick pay and parental leave
• Create jobs and opportunities for young people
• Maximise Scotland’s influence in government

The polls show Labour neck and neck with the SNP. Only a vote for Labour will bring about the change we need. Vote Labour on July 4.

Todd Ferguson (Conservative)

Todd Ferguson, Conservative candidate for North Ayrshire and Arran. (Image: William Thornton)

I would be honoured to be the MP for North Ayrshire and Arran.

These communities are home for me, and I have had the honour for the past seven years of representing many of them as a councillor on North Ayrshire Council.

If elected as your MP, your priorities would be my priorities. That’s because living and working here I am aware of the challenges facing this area.

Living in Millport, I have been directly impacted by the SNP’s failure to upgrade our ferry network with an over-reliance on an ageing fleet, rather than delivering reliable services.

I will push the SNP to deliver these new ferries for our islands without any further delays or additional costs.

I will relentlessly champion investment into this constituency, which is all too often overlooked in favour of elsewhere.

This area has so much to offer but we must create good jobs locally and deliver fresh investment to attract people to make North Ayrshire and Arran their place to live and work.

That can start by the SNP finally giving our councils the funding they need to support local services.

As a councillor I have seen first-hand the devastating impact that has on our communities and the people who rely on them.

From my campaigning it is clear people want an MP who will be focused on the issues that affect them day-to-day, rather than a SNP MP only focused on independence.

On July 4, if you vote for me then you can ensure the focus will always be on your real priorities.

Michael Mann (Reform UK)

Michael Mann, Reform UK candidate for North Ayrshire and Arran. (Image: Submitted)

In the final run up to the election, I have been attacked by those who want their cake and keep it.

People complain about the cost-of-living crisis, the lack of services, the crime rate in North Ayrshire as well as drug deaths.

Austerity is blamed, while we have a growing and worrying national debt. The established parties want to raise taxes, and to welcome in uncontrolled migration. How we can end the cost-of-living crisis by raising taxes is beyond me.

We have the highest taxes for 70 years. We cannot tax our way out of this situation. We must grow our way out.

Reform will raise the tax threshold from £12,571 to £20,000, taking 1.7 million out of tax altogether and saving every worker almost £1,500 per year.

Reform will end net zero policies which are harming our environment and our economy.

This will save us around £30 billion per year and stop us destroying farmland and exporting our environmental liability through wasteful, unworkable programmes.

Illegal immigration alone last year was 685,000. About 10 times the population of North Ayrshire and Arran. This is not just a UK problem. It is here now affecting our community.

No wonder we have homelessness, a housing crisis, an NHS crisis. The SNP and the Conservatives have broken Scotland. Labour will bankrupt Scotland.

I will fight as hard as anyone else for my constituents, but the issues are bigger than the efforts of one MP. Vote for Reform on July 4.

James McDaid (Socialist Labour)

James McDaid, Socialist Labour candidate for North Ayrshire and Arran. (Image: Submitted)

Politicians often rely on short-term mindsets to ensure voters don’t remember too much when they go to the polls.

The SNP and Tories behave as if they only came to office a few weeks ago, as if policy disasters by both were nothing to do with them.

Labour too pretends it wasn’t them in government who bailed out the banks after their criminal speculation to the tune of billions - paid for by us through cuts to public services and standards of living.

Voters should not forget these things and should use their vote to demand a different approach.

This is why I am standing as a Socialist Labour Party candidate in this constituency. We desperately need policies that tackle the unending rise in poverty, low wage employment, growing housing waiting lists and… the seemingly unstoppable march to war and potential ending of human life.

I will work towards making North Ayrshire and Arran a better place to live with prospects for all including young people and young families. Some think that these ideas are revolutionary, they are.

I want the removal of the small elite who control the economy and everything else. The obsession with increased military expenditure including nuclear weapons needs replaced by a commitment to improve people’s lives.

I want to see a world free from war, free from want and oppression. I want to see a world where the environment is protected for humans and all forms of life.

If you agree vote Socialist Labour Party on July 4.

Cara McKee (Green)

Cara McKee, Scottish Greens candidate for North Ayrshire and Arran. (Image: Submitted)

I’m Cara McKee, your Scottish Greens candidate for North Ayrshire and Arran.

I am standing as your Scottish Greens candidate in this election because I believe bold action is needed to tackle the climate and nature emergencies and to eradicate poverty.

The Scottish Greens have a raft of policies to make a real difference.

This would include: a £28 billion Green New Deal investment programme, including subsidies for green technologies like renewable energy; renationalising public transport and its infrastructure to make it work for people and for planet; a wealth tax on those with more than £3.4 million in assets; strengthening workers’ rights and raising the minimum wage; providing a safe haven for refugees; and continuing to campaign for an independent Scotland so we can make our own decisions and manage our own finances.

A lot of people on the doorstep have told me they don’t feel the big parties will ever listen to them and that they can’t trust them to do what they say.

I would argue that voting Scottish Green can send a powerful message that you care about the environment and want action on the climate and nature emergencies, you care about the rich making money at the expense of the poor.

In addition, the Scottish Greens is the progressive choice for Scottish independence.

At this election I’m asking you to vote like our future depends on it, because it does. Vote Cara McKee. Vote Scottish Greens.

Gillian Cole-Hamilton (Liberal Democrats)

Gillian Cole-Hamilton, Liberal Democrats candidate for North Ayrshire and Arran. (Image: Archive)

This election surprised everyone, but now that it is here, we have a chance to give the country the change and the fair deal that people are crying out for.

It is so disheartening to see our health and public services being hollowed out, our rivers being pumped with sewage, and people standing in the supermarket wondering whether their value range is too expensive.

Scottish Liberal Democrats have put forward a plan to solve these which is workable, sensible, and will benefit people’s lives. However, it’s more than just that.

Over the best part of two decades, governments in Westminster and in Holyrood have lost sight of what matters, taking people for granted.

I have strong beliefs in the values of integrity, duty, and community, and want to see these restored to our politics with urgency.

Liberal Democrats would do that by enacting fairer votes, empowering local communities, and implementing stronger measures to hold MPs to account.

Electing a strong group of Lib Dem MPs means a team who will fight for a fair deal, to restore faith in politics and fix our broken relationship with Europe. We'll fight for better public services, dependable jobs, and action on climate change which will bring down people's bills.

That’s why I urge people across North Ayrshire to back the Scottish Liberal Democrats on July 4, to deliver a fair deal for people, communities, and our country.