General Election: Melanie Ward on Labour’s ‘positive vision ‘ for Kirkcaldy – and getting things done

For Melanie Ward, any temptation to fast forward to July 5 - the morning after the votes are counted - is on hold.

“The idea the election is done and dusted is dangerous,” she said “It is being deliberately suggested it is done - it’s not. No-one has counted any votes.”

But there is a volume of work going on in the background, all based on the Lang Toun reverting back to Labour for the first time since 2019. It is one of the party’s key target seats - and one they want back.

Now based in Kirkcaldy, Ms Ward has a clear vision of what she wants to achieve if the voters send her to Westminster, and is keen to hit the ground running after stepping in following Wilma Brown’s withdrawal as the party’s candidate.

Standing in Kirkcaldy brings her full circle some nine years after bidding to win Glenrothes - one of a slew of seats won by the SNP on a night the political map changed from red to yellow.

Currently on leave from her role as chief exec of the aid charity Medical Aid for Palestinians, she has also worked as executive director for David Miliband’s global aid organisation, International Rescue Committee, and was recently chosen as one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential health workers worldwide.

She describes herself as someone who gets things done.

She said. “It is easy to shout from the sidelines. It is much harder to roll up your sleeves , try to win arguments and do the right things. You can only achieve so much from the outside. It comes down to who holds power and how it makes decisions and what their values and motivations are. All my working life has been about getting things done.”

And doing things differently.

She explained: “People are looking for someone who is going to be a strong voice for them in Parliament. I am in Kirkcaldy now and people are looking for the next generation of Scottish Labour representatives who are going to do politics a bit differently in lots of ways.

“We want a strong local government, and strong Scottish MPs fighting for the area,

I am very clear that my job, as MP, would be fighting to get a good deal for local people. It comes down to a positive vision for the future, rather than complaining someone should have done this or that and indulging in the politics of grievance. What we have out forward is a positive vision for the future.”

That has led to discussions with Ian Murray, likely to be the next Scottish Secretary in any Labour Government, and Johnny Reynolds, Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade, who joined Scottish leader, Anas Sarwar, as Labour brought its battle bus to town last week. There have also been discussions with councillors on projects key to regenerating the Lang Toun.

“Speaking to Ian Murray was important - that direct connection is important,” she said. “There is a real sense of the potential here, and we need to attract investment and create the opportunities for Kirkcaldy and across the constituency.

“In a meeting with Sue Gray (Chief of Staff) last week, she was very clear Scotland is not just heard but that we deliver - that was really important . A clear message has been heard.”

Ms Ward sees the July 4 vote as a chance to bring real change to people struggling to keep their heads above water - “people are working really hard and life isn’t getting any easier.”

“We have learned and listened from the past 15 years. This is a new generation for us and a new approach.”