John Lamont has been selected as the Scottish Conservative candidate for the Berwickshire Roxburgh and Selkirk seat in the 2015 general election.
John was selected at an open primary in Kelso's Tait Hall on Sunday night. This was the first time an open primary has been used in Scotland. Any voter in the constituency, regardless of which party they support, was welcome to attend and vote for their choice of candidate. The event was a huge success with over 300 people from across the constituency attending. This is different from the past where only party members have had a say on candidate selection.
John overcame stiff competition from Michelle Ballantyne, the leader of the Conservative group at Scottish Borders Council, to win on the night. Both candidates were grilled on stage by The Daily Telegraph's Alan Cochrane and then from the floor, where the public were allowed to ask any question they wished.
Scottish Borders Conservatives Deputy Chairman Neil Stratton said: We see this primary as a way of opening up to voters. This way we can show them what we are and they can come and listen to the candidate.
Chairman Robert Miller-Bakewell added: It's been an outstanding success. We've raised the profie of the party locally and ratched up the pressure on our policitcal opponents.
Alan Cochrane, The Daily Telegraph's Scottish editor, said the event was a great success. Read what Alan had to say about the event here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scotland/10645084/The-primary-in…