A candidate in one of Scotland’s most hotly-contested election seats has withdrawn after being stuck in America because of the volcanic ash.
Rannoch’s Viscount Monckton of Brenchley had been due to stand for the UK Independence Party (UKIP) in the Perth and North Perthshire constituency a key battleground and the Tories’ top Scottish target.
However, Lord Monckton has been stranded in the US, where he had been engaged on a speaking tour promoting his firmly-held sceptical views on climate change.
He withdrew from the contest on Tuesday, the nomination deadline, with his wife signing the necessary paperwork.
Lady Juliet said, “He was due to fly back in time to do the paperwork himself but got stuck because of the volcano so I did it for him.
“Rather than wait around for another flight on the off-chance he could get on, he decided to do some more talks, so he will stay out there for a while. Obviously, he wouldn’t be able to campaign.”
A UKIP spokesman said that, as well as Lord Monckton’s travel difficulties, the party had agreed not to field candidates against the new Trust party, for which Douglas Taylor is standing in Perth and North Perthshire.
The spokesman said, “Because he (Lord Monckton) is stuck in America, it would have restricted his campaigning.
“But we have an agreement with the Trust Party anyway, as we want to expose the scandal of MP expenses and put trust back in Parliament as well.
“We think our candidate would have done quite well but the combination of the two things meant that he withdrew.”