Panellists confirmed for Debate Night Hamilton by-election special
The six political panellists taking part in tonight's special Hamilton edition of BBC show Debate Night have been confirmed by programme makers.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes of the SNP, Conservative MSP Craig Hoy, deputy Labour leader Dame Jackie Baillie, Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton, Green co-leader Lorna Slater and Reform councillor Thomas Kerr will take questions from a studio audience of constituents.
It comes a week before voters go to the polls in the intensely-contested Holyrood by-election in the Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse constituency, which follows the death in March of long-serving constituency politician Christina McKelvie.
Local voters were previously invited to apply for free tickets to join the studio audience for BBC Scotland's weekly debate show, hosted by Stephen Jardine, to put questions to the political panellists and 'have their say on who should be the next MSP' for the area.
The by-election special edition will be broadcast on the BBC Scotland channel at 9pm on Wednesday, May 28, and again on BBC1 at 10.40pm on the same night.
It features representatives of six of the record 10 parties and candidates contesting the June 5 election. The full list of candidates standing in the Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse seat is: Collette Bradley (Scottish Socialist Party); Andy Brady (Scottish Family Party); Ross Lambie (Reform); Katy Loudon (SNP); Janice MacKay (UKIP); Ann McGuinness (Green); Aisha Mir (Liberal Democrats); Richard Nelson (Conservative); Davy Russell (Labour); and Marc Wilkinson (independent).
Debate Night producers describe the show as 'the only television programme of its kind in Scotland – it gives you the opportunity to put your questions to the country's decision-makers and public figures'.
It travels across Scotland each week and has previously been broadcast from Rutherglen in 2023 ahead of that constituency's Westminster by-election, as well as from North Lanarkshire venues at Motherwell and Cumbernauld.
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