THREE candidates have so far thrown their hat into the ring to contest the Midlothian North & Musselburgh constituency in the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections.

Sitting MSP Colin Beattie, SNP, is seeking re-election; Labour’s choice to fight the seat is Midlothian councillor Stevie Curran; and representing the Scottish Conservatives is City of Edinburgh councillor Iain Whyte.

The Liberal Democrats said that their selection process was ongoing and the Scottish Greens are not fielding a candidate for the Midlothian North & Musselburgh seat.

Mr Beattie said he was “proud” to have served the people of Midlothian North and Musselburgh for the past 10 years.

He said: “During this time, I have helped so many people in many different ways.

“These are not easy times for any of us, with difficult decisions being made for the protection of us all.

“There is no doubt that some decisions have caused real problems for businesses and individuals – but, as Covid-19 has been spreading rapidly, there has been no alternative.

“I have reached out to many businesses across the constituency offering support to protect jobs.”

He added: “People have asked what my priorities would be if I was re-elected. Simple: jobs and the economy.

“Tough times lie ahead and the leading issue must be to reboot our economy and generate new jobs locally, as well as protect existing jobs.”

He claimed: “The SNP has made huge progress in building a fairer and more equal society. We must not lose these gains in the drive to compensate for the disaster that is Brexit, which was inexplicably driven through by the Tory Westminster Government during an unprecedented pandemic.

“It is clearer to me than ever before that 300 years of the Union has neither delivered our potential prosperity nor true democratic accountability.

“Independence will not automatically bring wealth and wellbeing. Independence will allow us to take the critical decisions towards those goals and empower us to build a fairer society.

“I hope the residents of Midlothian North & Musselburgh will give me another opportunity to serve them.”

Mr Curran, 48, who lives in Dalkeith, is councillor for the Dalkeith and Danderhall ward on Midlothian Council.

He has held cabinet responsibility for housing since being elected in 2017 and has “extensive experience” working in the public sector, including more than 10 years with Lothian and Borders Police/Police Scotland as an operations co-ordinator. He is also chairman of the Midlothian Police and Fire and Rescue Scrutiny Board. He was selected as the Labour candidate by the Midlothian North and Musselburgh Labour Party.

Mr Curran said: “Words can’t do justice to the sense of pride I feel to have been afforded the opportunity to represent the constituency where I’ve lived my entire life.”

He highlighted his priorities, saying: “Exiting the pandemic safely, and the economic recovery from its devastating impact will be a priority for the next Parliament.

“Our region is growing rapidly but council funding and transport infrastructure to accommodate our growth is deficient, from the underfunding of the 1,140 hours of early learning and childcare to the delayed grade separation at Sheriffhall.

“As a councillor, I know all too well the impact of cuts to council budgets, and I will fight tooth and nail for fairer funding for our local authorities.

“It’s also vital that local issues don’t get lost in the recovery from Covid-19, and that Covid is not used as an excuse to delay intervention in matters that require urgent attention, one such example being the ongoing issues at [Musselburgh’s]Riverside Medical Practice.

“I will be addressing this very issue, among others, on day one in Parliament as constituency MSP.”

Mr Whyte represents Inverleith ward on City of Edinburgh Council and is its Conservative Group leader.

He has previously served as a non-executive board member of the Scottish Police Authority and NHS Lothian, where he was chairman of the then East Lothian Community Health Partnership.

His experience of public services in East Lothian and Midlothian was formed during his time as convener of the Lothian and Borders Police Board, prior to the amalgamation of policing into Police Scotland.

He currently serves as a board member of EDI Ltd and as chairman and a founder member of the Edinburgh March Riding Association.

Mr Whyte said: “I am looking forward to working with our excellent and hard-working team of Conservative councillors from both Midlothian and East Lothian to get our message over to the public.

“As a councillor who has had a role across the Lothians in the past as the Police Board convenor, and as someone who has been involved in NHS services in these areas, I know that high-quality public services are important to people.

“I want to take the fight straight to the SNP in this seat, as their record shows they have let things slip on key issues like education and health, while they have underfunded our police and councils.”