The Scottish Conservative’s general election candidate in Moray has won the support of two people who once stood for rival parties and a former SNP election agent.
Councillor Douglas Ross is being backed by Linda Gorn, a former Liberal Democrat candidate, UKip’s Donald Gatt and Marc Macrae, an ex-SNP staffer who helped nationalist Angus Robertson win the seat in 2010.
Ms Gorn, who has fought the general election in Moray four times and is a former local councillor, said: “I’m supporting Douglas in this election because of the way he stands up for his constituents.
“He’s not afraid to ruffle feathers and ask difficult questions and I think he would be an excellent MP for the area.”
Mr Gatt who stood in Moray during the 2010 general election, claimed the region was a two-horse race between Mr Ross and Mr Robertson.
“You can vote SNP and help Ed Miliband become prime minister or you can vote Conservative and elect a local champion in Douglas Ross to stand up for our area,” he added.
Mr Macrae said he would be voting for the Fochabers\Lhanbryde councillor because independently-minded people who can make up their own minds were needed at Westminster.
“What a refreshing difference it would make to have a Moray MP like that,” he added.
Mr Macrae, who used to work for Mr Robertson and Moray MSP Richard Lochhead, claimed the party treated him ‘worse than a terrorist’ after his cancer diagnosis.
Mr Robertson said: ‘Mr Macrae fell out with the SNP some time ago and even stood as a candidate against the SNP in a local by-election.
“At a time of rising support for the SNP in Moray and across Scotland it is unsurprising that he is now backing the Tories.’
Mr Ross said he was “extremely grateful” for the three personal endorsements which he claimed meant the election result was wide-open.
Meanwhile, former Aberdeenshire Lib Dem councillor Mike Raeburn, who represented Inverurie until 2012, has announced he is backing Alex Salmond to win the Gordon constituency.
“I was a Liberal Democrat supporter all my days, up to the point where the party completely lost its principles,” he said.