Dumfries & Galloway matters to me.

Full statement

It's where I was born, raised, and all my family live there.



But our are is being let down by two chaotic Governments, too busy fighting among themselves, instead of fighting for Dumfries & Galloway. Enough is enough. It's time for change.



Dumfries & Galloway can lead the way in ending the division and decline of the SNP and the Tories by helping elect a Labour government that will make change a reality. The SNP say they want to send a message to Westminster. I want to change the government in Westminster and you can only do that by voting Labour. We can have a Labour MP at the heart of the next Labour Government as well as the heart of our community. For too long Dumfries & Galloway has been the forgotten region.



Polls show Labour can win back the seat. The last time there was a Labour Government (indeed until 2015) Labour held the seat with Russell Brown winning 46% of the vote (no party has achieved this since).



I will fight for action to tackle the cost of living crisis and get the economy back on track, so local people have more money in their pocket, and we can invest in protecting our local NHS.



Note: James was born and raised in Dumfries, attending Loreburn Primary then Dumfries Academy before studying law at Edinburgh University. Having worked as a lawyer for eight years specialising in pensions (also qualifying in New York, USA), he retrained as an independent financial adviser and has been a chartered financial planner since 2020.