LABOUR members in Dunfermline and West Fife have selected Cara Hilton to be their candidate for the next General Election.

The former Dunfermline MSP, who took the Holyrood seat in October 2013 from disgraced Bill Walker and lost it to Shirley-Anne Somerville in May 2016, was chosen by the party on Monday.

In the snap General Election last June, Ms Hilton stood against sitting SNP MP Douglas Chapman. He held onto the seat but his majority shrunk from 10,352 in the 2015 election to 844 in 2017.

She said: “Dunfermline is my home. It’s where I live and my three children go to school and I am absolutely delighted to be selected as Labour’s candidate for the next General Election.

"Last year, we slashed the SNP’s majority here to just 844 votes and forced the Tories firmly into third place – making the constituency a must-win marginal.

"Since then, I've been out campaigning week-in, week-out, speaking to thousands of residents and campaigning on the everyday issues that matter, such as the fight to keep out-of-hours overnight services in Dunfermline and to secure the cash needed to replace Woodmill, Inverkeithing and St Columba's high schools."

Ms Hilton added: "I'm ready to fight the next election, whether it comes in a few months or a few years, and absolutely determined to make Dunfermline and West Fife a Labour gain next time."