Newly re-elected local MSP Iain Gray has given his backing to the Scottish Labour Party’s campaign for the UK to remain in the European Union.

Mr Gray joined Kezia Dugdale and Alan Johnson MP in Edinburgh to help launch Scottish Labour’s campaign for a “remain” vote, along with the party’s two Scottish Labour MEPs, David Martin and Catherine Stihler.

The Labour Party in East Lothian has a long and proud record of support for the European Union, not least in the days of John P Mackintosh who was as eloquent an advocate of Europe as he was of devolution in Scotland.

Speaking after the launch Iain Gray MSP said:

“The vote on our membership of the European Union is now only a few weeks away. Attention in recent weeks has rightly been on the Holyrood elections, but we will now be working hard to move the focus to the positive reasons for backing our continued membership of the EU.

“I will be reminding people that Europe is the biggest single market in the world, bigger than the USA or China. I believe we should continue to be part of it because many businesses and jobs depend on our access to this single market. So, I will be voting, and campaigning for “remain”.

“That means urging Labour supporters, but also other East Lothian residents, to think carefully about the many benefits we enjoy from being members of the EU and vote to remain on 23rd June.”