Liberal Democrats announce Gloria Adebo as by-election candidate - and demand action on the cost-of-living crisis

Scottish Liberal Democrats have today announced their candidate for the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election as local Liberal Democrat activist Gloria Adebo.  

Gloria lives in Rutherglen with her family. Originally from Nigeria, she stood as a council candidate for Rutherglen Central and North in 2022 and works as a data analyst with a major financial institution.  

Gloria has been campaigning for action on a range of local issues, including measures to rejuvenate local town centres, clear up litter and debris and improve local pavements. 

Gloria has started her campaign by calling for urgent action to help people struggling with mortgages as well as energy and food bills due to the cost-of-living crisis.

Gloria Adebo said:   

“I am passionate about giving people right across Rutherglen and Hamilton West the representation they deserve.    

“For me, putting public service back into the beating heart of our politics is so important, and that is why I am standing as a candidate in this by-election.    

"The Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election is a real chance for local people to deliver a judgement on the difficulties and disasters we have been landed in by incompetent, populist governments in London and Edinburgh.  

"It needn’t be like this. And it is the Liberal Democrats who, increasingly, are a growing and dynamic part of an alternative way forward– offering hope in place of despair, founded on a belief in individuals, in the rule of law, in equality of opportunity and the importance of human rights here and across the world.

“In this by-election, I will be focussed on the issues that matter to local people. That means bringing down bills for households struggling with the cost of living and ensuring that people can access healthcare close to home and within a reasonable time.

"It is time, in particular, for the government to accept Liberal Democrat demands to support people in difficulty with their mortgages, paid for by reversing Conservative tax cuts for banks, to protect families falling into arrears or facing repossession as a result of soaring interest rates.”      

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said:    

“I am absolutely thrilled to announce Gloria Adebo as our candidate for the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election.    

“Gloria does what Liberal Democrats do best: standing up for local communities and offering positive solutions.  

“This by-election is a chance to send a message to both the Conservatives and the SNP that people are tired of the out-of-touch politics they represent. Liberal Democrats will continue knocking on doors and understanding the needs of communities, and that’s how we will be part of what’s next.”