Labour chooses its Holyrood candidate for Edinburgh Eastern

Bill Cook was a councillor for seven years

He won the selection contest by 48 to 44 over activist Daniel Moran in a vote of local party members.

Mr Cook, who was the city council’s deputy finance convener for five years up to 2017, represented Liberton/Gilmerton ward, most of which falls in Edinburgh Eastern.

He said he had lived in or around the constituency most of his life, being brought up in the Inch, attending Liberton High School, living in Howdenhall and now in Craigentinny..

He believes his local connections will help him win back what was once a Labour stronghold but was lost to the SNP in 2007.

“I would only ever want to represent the seat I was associated with,” he said.

“This will be the ninth campaign I have fought in Edinburgh Eastern either as candidate or agent.”

And he said when he was agent at the last council election in Liberton/Gilmerton the ward was one of the few where the Labour vote increased.

The SNP’s Ash Denham had a majority of 5087 over Labour in Edinburgh Eastern in 2016.