Edinburgh Lib Dem MP Christine Jardine accused of misleading voters with election letter

Lib Dem MP Christine Jardine has been accused of misleading voters in next week’s Holyrood election by sending a letter to residents in marginal Edinburgh Central quoting voting figures for a Westminster seat with completely different boundaries.

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Ms Jardine targeted voters living in Edinburgh’s West End – which falls in Central for the Holyrood election but her Edinburgh West constituency for UK elections – with a letter urging support for Central Lib Dem candidate Bruce Wilson and for the Lib Dems on the Lothian list.

But the letter also carried a bar chart of the 2019 general election result in West with the Lib Dems on 39 per cent, the SNP 33 per cent and the Tories and Labour trailing behind along with the caption “It’s the Lib Dems or SNP here!”

Christine Jardine sent letters with voting figures for her Westminster seat

The Holyrood seat of Edinburgh Western, which covers much of Ms Jardine’s seat, is also held by the Lib Dems after they won it from the SNP at the last elections in 2016.

The contest in Edinburgh Central, on the other hand, is a closely-fought battle between the Tories, who won last time wit a 610 majority, and the SNP who have made it one of their top target seats.

Central Tory candidate Scott Douglas, who argues he is best-placed to stop the SNP winning, said: “This is a blatant attempt by Christine Jardine to try and mislead voters in Edinburgh Central ahead of the Scottish Parliament election.

Back the police call: MP Christine Jardine

“She knows fine well that the boundaries are different for Holyrood compared to Westminster and this area is in the Edinburgh Central constituency.

“The Liberal Democrats are non-existent in Edinburgh Central and came fifth in this seat in the 2016 election. Voters here know that this is a straight fight between myself and the SNP.

“This is an embarrassing move from an MP who should apologise to voters living here.”

A Liberal Democrat spokesman said: “This letter, on our standard letter head to constituents, makes clear the strength of support for the Liberal Democrats in Edinburgh West and our pitch for support on the Lothian list at the forthcoming election.”

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