Election 2024: deadline for candidates looms as parties begin Fife campaigns

The deadline for nominations is Friday (June 7) when all candidates will be formally confirmed, and campaigning will officially get underway in earnest for the July 4 poll.

Labour, Alba and SNP have already launched their campaigns, but the Lib Dems and Tories have yet to confirm who will represent them in the Lang Toun constituency. The Lib Dems are expected to unveil all their candidates across Fife after nominations close. The deadline will also reveal if any independents will stand in the newly re-shaped Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy constituency - one of several in Fife which have been tweaked.

Local candidates have been out and about over the past week, as well as welcoming two party leaders to town.

Anas Sarwar, Scottish Labour leader, and John Swinney, First Minister, were both in Burntisland to support their respective candidates this week.

Mr Sarwar was in the town centre with Melanie Ward whose teams have also been campaigning in Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath.

She said there had been “brilliant responses” from the people she spoke to who were “desperate to see change and have strong Scottish Labour Party MPs in Parliament.”She added: “The SNP in Holyrood and the Conservatives in Westminster have let Scotland’s economy down, so it falls to Labour to deliver the change we need. The Labour Party will unleash Scotland's economic firepower to deliver jobs and growth because when Scotland succeeds, we all succeed.”

Mr Swinney was also in Burntisland with SNP candidate Lesley Backhouse who has launched an ‘Ask me Anything’ feature on he campaign;s Facebook page to outline her stance on key issues including trans rights and Palestine.

Locally she was invited to Kinghorn Children's Gala crowning ceremony yesterday, and in keeping with their Circus theme I even got to practice my juggling!

Neale Hanvey formally launches his campaign his weekend on the steps of the Town House in Kirkcaldy. It takes place at 11:00am on Sunday.

He has also been out and about, visiting the part of Inverkeithing that now comes under the constituency.

In an update on Facebook, he said: “Some really interesting conversations - people seem to be a bit fed up with the SNP Government and don't see Keir Starmer as the answer to the UK problems. One thing was very clear, the public want their politician's to listen to them and show a bit more honesty.”

While their candidates have yet to be unveiled, the Lib Dems launched their campaign in Dunfermline this week.

Wendy Chamberlain, who is defending her North-East Fife parliamentary seat, said her party’s “fair deal” would ensure better access to GPs and NHS dentists, end sewage dumping and lift up Scottish education.

She said: “I am very much looking forward to highlighting our positive message for change at this election. In Fife and across the country, people are tired of both the SNP and the Conservatives. They are both out of ideas and out of road.”