Labour candidate denies 'running scared' ahead of crucial by-election
The Scottish Labour candidate for the Hamilton, Larkhall, and Stonehouse by-election has said he is 'not running scared' amid accusations that he is avoiding the media.
Davy Russell had been accused of being the 'invisible man' by his opponents after he refused to take part in an STV debate ahead of the vote on June 5.
On TikTok, Reform candidate Ross Lambie accused Russell of 'hiding from scrutiny and TV debates'.
The social media video showed him on the hunt for the Scottish Labour candidate in the constituency as Queen's 'The Invisible Man' played alongside the caption 'Where's Davy?'.
It was also insinuated that the Labour party may have had concerns about Russell's ability to speak live on TV after his contributions to a social media video posted by Scottish secretary Ian Murray had to be heavily edited last week.
However, Russell was keen to clear the air on Wednesday afternoon.
He told STV News that he was 'certainly not' the invisible man of the by-election campaign, and denied that he was 'running scared'.
'I can take you to any area in this constituency and I am better known than any of the other candidates,' he said.
'I made a conscious decision that I'd go back to grassroots and fight on the doorstep, listen to people's concerns and the real issues that affect them. It's OK doing a debate that goes to the whole of Scotland, but really, you're not listening to people.'
Russell said he's been knocking on doors and talking to constituents – a strategy he says has been appreciated by locals.
He said: 'There was one door I went to the other day and the man says 'The last person to chap my door was George Robertson'. How long ago was he MP for this area?'
Russell also said his opponents are 'not actually chapping doors to any significant amount'.
He claimed they've done 'plenty of leaflet posting', but accused them of 'not actually speaking to people'.
'[Talking to people] is more appreciated than a TV debate. Come with me and you'll see what I'm talking about,' Russell added.
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