BACK in the 2001 General Election, Peter Duncan had the distinction of being the sole Scottish Tory MP when he took the Galloway and Upper Nithsdale seat from the SNP.
Mr Duncan was later named chairman of the Scottish Conservative Party, but, in 2005, his constituency was abolished and he lost out to Labour’s Russell Brown in Dumfries and Galloway, succumbing to the same rival again in 2010.
Last week, Mr Duncan, who now lives near Earlston, was confirmed as his party’s candidate for Leaderdale and Melrose – the only SBC ward currently without a Tory member. It is likely to be a key battleground because the ward is already represented by SBC leader David Parker, Borders Party leader Nicholas Watson and Lib Dem backbencher John Paton-Day, who are all re-contesting.
In their campaign leaflet, the Conservatives cite their achievements as part of the ruling administration over the last five years, including “maintaining our sound grip of the council’s finances, despite global financial meltdown”.