SNP candidate Gavin Newlands believes postal votes could have a crucial role to play in delivering victory for his party in next month’s General Election.

Mr Newlands, who is hoping to hold onto his Paisley and Renfrewshire North seat, is urging voters to make sure they have their say, whatever the weather.

“The key for all parties will be getting voters out on polling day,” said Mr Newlands.

 

“With a December 12 polling day, you just don’t know what you’re going to find.

“If the weather is as bad as it could be on December 12, it’s going to be a real job for all parties to get voters out. 

“One party that doesn’t have that issue as much as others is the Conservative Party because they have a high proportion of postal voters.

“In the SNP, we haven’t done a good enough job over the years in getting our own supporters onto postal votes, so we’ll be focusing on that in the coming days.”

Mr Newlands also insists that, while polls suggest a comfortable hold for the SNP in Paisley and Renfrewshire North, he will not be taking such predictions for granted.

He added: “At the last General Election in 2017, a whole plethora of constituencies became marginal in Scotland.

“Our majority in Paisley and Renfrewshire North went from over 9,000 to 2,600, which is a significant drop. That was really down to some of our supporters perhaps not coming out to vote as they did in 2015. It is our job to make sure they come out and vote for us this time and, from what we’re hearing on the doorsteps, it sounds as if that is going to happen.

“We are quietly confident but certainly don’t take any polls for granted. We take our own soundings from the doorstep and that’s what we go by. What we have found is that SNP support is either extremely strong or holding up well.”

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