A FORMER LOSSIEMOUTH High school science technician and Moray Labour Parliamentary candidate has hit national headlines after updating his Social Media profile image wearing a Labour Party jacket.
While that might not be seen as controversial, Kieron Green has done so at a time when he is campaigning in a Council by-election for Oban North and Lorne Argyll – as an Independent.
Mr Green shot to prominence in Moray in 2010 when he was selected as Labour’s candidate to fight the Westminster seat at the UK General Election that year. He was parachuted in to replace disgraced candidate Stuart MacLennan, who was sacked by the party following foul-mouthed outbursts on social media site Twitter.
He unsuccessfully stood again in Moray for a seat at Holyrood a year later, before leaving the area to take up a post at Argyll and Bute Council – where he has now launched a campaign to become a local councillor in a by-election on February 18.
Mr Green also unsuccessfully stood as a Labour candidate for Argyll and Bute Council in 2014 – twice, before deciding to contest the current election as an independent, saying that he wishes “the freedom to work across political boundaries and represent the entire electorate with integrity”.
However, he caused consternation amongst eagle-eyed locals when updating his Twitter profile with an image of himself wearing his ‘Labour Together’ jacket.
Mr Green insists that while he remains a Labour Party member that is on the national political stage: “I am not trying to hide my national politics – I am still a Labour member despite my attempt to resign from Scottish Labour (I got a reply saying it didn’t exist).
“Nor am I wanting to just jump on a bandwagon. Since the referendum it seems to me far more natural for people’s politics to differ in elections to Kilmory, Holyrood, Westminster and Brussels.”
Should Scottish Labour decide to run a candidate in the ward then Mr Green would expect to be expelled from the party.