By Bill Heaney
Labour supports the proposal to extend candidacy rights to nationals of any country with which the UK signs a treaty for mutual candidacy rights at local elections, West of Scotland MSP Neil Bibby told the Holyrood parliament this week.
The bill currently being legislated for will ensure that all nationals of Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal and Spain can stand as candidates in Scottish local government elections.
The next council elections in West Dunbartonshire and Argyll will take place on Thursday, May 5.
Neil Bibby, right, with Jackie Baillie MSP and Glencairn Lounge owner Tam Murray.
Mr Bibby said: “The UK has entered into treaties with those countries in order to allow their nationals to be candidates here. As the minister said, the bill will put it into law that having leave to remain in the UK is sufficient to allow them to stand for election.
“Therefore, the bill is an important step towards ensuring compliance with treaties that the UK Government has agreed in relation to candidacy in Scottish local government elections.
“The bill also represents an opportunity for us all in the chamber to affirm the value of non-UK nationals in our political, social and cultural life.
“As the May local government elections approach, many of us will be acutely aware of the value and importance of good local candidates, whom we have heard about recently and who are embedded and involved in their local communities.
“We should also be aware of how often, in modern Scotland, it is people who are born in other countries who represent the best examples of people who are embedded and invested in their local communities.
“Those who have come to stay, settle and build lives in communities that are far from their place of birth can be the greatest and most dedicated local champions.
“It is easy to see the bill as something that will benefit only a small number of people—namely, those who aspire to stand for election. That is important and valuable, but there are, potentially, many more beneficiaries—namely, the people who might vote for and be represented by those people.
“The bill will affirm and extend the right of all people in Scotland to vote for candidates who were born beyond our shores but who have come here to live, work and enrich our communities. The bill should be commended and celebrated on that basis.”
He added: “Scottish Labour believes that, as the bill progresses, the minister and the Government should consider a number of points. First, there is a concern that the committee discussed in its report—that nationals from the same country could have different candidacy rights based solely on their immigration status.
“Secondly, as we have already heard, the committee recognised the point that was made by the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee, that a future Government might not consider itself to be bound to remove a country from schedule, and that Scottish ministers might exercise discretion in relation to such removal. Therefore, the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee “supports the DPLRC’s call for the Scottish Government to bring forward an amendment at Stage 2 to address this issue.
“Scottish Labour supports that call, so we hope that the bill can be amended with Scottish Government support.”