Party leaders hit campaign trail to support Labour man

Labour leader Mr Corbyn added Birkenshaw Sports Barn to the list of whistle-stop destinations across Scotland where he believes the party has everything to play for.

It is the second time in under a month Mr Corbyn has visited Lanarkshire on the campaign trail after a previous appearance in Motherwell.

Mr Corbyn was accompanied by his Scottish counterpart Richard Leonard – on the day that Westminster and Holyrood head honchos met the grassroots supporters of the Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill constituency in the park, alongside the wider public.

Here he urged local voters to re-elect Mr Gaffney and elect a Labour government which would reverse Tory and SNP austerity and deliver £70 billion of investment for Scotland’s public services.

Mr Corbyn outlined that a Labour government would also introduce a real Living Wage of £10 per hour for all workers from the age of 16, scrap Universal Credit and address the injustice faced by the WASPI women.

Mr Gaffney said:“I was delighted to welcome both Jeremy and Richard to Birkenshaw, the area which I grew up in and live today. Jeremy was clear that a Labour government will transform the lives of working people with policies such as a real Living Wage of £10 per hour, the abolition of exploitative zero-hours contracts and scrapping Universal Credit.”

The other candidates have been confirmed as Steven Bonnar (SNP), Patrick Pearse McAleer (Scottish Greens), David Stevens (Scottish Liberal Democrats), and Nathan Wilson (Scottish Conservatives).