CUMNOCK was the place for Corri Wilson as she launched her campaign to be re-elected as MP for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock on June 8.

The former SNP MP was joined by party activists and Cumnock MSP Jeane Freeman as she got her campaign underway by visiting the town.

The other candidates standing against Ms Wilson include former a South Ayrshire councillor, Bill Grant, for the Conservatives, Labour’s Carol Ann Mochan and Callum David Leslie for the Liberal Democrats.

Ms Wilson was looking forward to the election and said: “The response we got on the doorsteps was really encouraging. We are constantly told that people have had enough of elections and, while that is certainly true, they are still keen to engage with politics, and certainly don’t hold back in telling you how they feel.

“I know first-hand how important it is to have a strong voice to stand up for this area, to stand up for Scotland, and to stand up to the Tories at Westminster. Now more than ever that strong voice matters for the people of Cumnock.

“Generations of voters here have been badly let down by the Labour Party over the years, a party who are failing to provide any real opposition to the austerity driven policies of the Conservatives.

“In contrast I, along with my SNP colleagues at Westminster, have consistently stood up to the Tories on cuts to tax credits, on cuts to disability support, on the bedroom tax and on pension reforms which threaten the living standards of our older people.

“Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock needs an MP who will fight for them, not an MP who will prop up a right-wing Tory Government, and not an MP who represents a party too busy fighting with itself.

“In 2015 I pledged to put the people of this constituency first. That is what I have done and, if re-elected, that is what I will continue to do.

“This area needs investment, not austerity and it needs opportunities, not sanctions. Only by voting SNP can people make their priorities the priorities at Westminster.”

SNP MSP Freeman added: “I was delighted to join Corri and her team in Cumnock to launch her campaign for re-election. Corri has fought hard in this area on issues such as bank closures and protecting jobs.

“I’ll keep campaigning for her to be re-elected and I look forward to continuing to work with her after June 8.”