Labour's Johanna Baxter reflects on 'incredible honour' as she is elected MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South

Labour’s Johanna Baxter has described it as an “incredible honour” after she was elected as the new MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South.

She swept to victory in the constituency after it was announced she had secured 19,583 votes in the early hours of Friday morning. Baxter, head of local government for Unison Scotland, will succeed the SNP's Mhairi Black, who had been the area's MP since 2015.

In the immediate aftermath of the result, she told the Paisley Daily Express: "It's an incredible honour for so many local residents to put their trust and faith in me. I will work relentlessly to deliver the change that they have demanded in the ballot box tonight.

"I'm known as a hard-worker, I've worked hard all the way through the campaign and I'll work hard every day I'm down in Westminster on behalf of the residents of Paisley and Renfrewshire South."

Baxter has spent her working life in the trade union movement, where, she says, she has fought for better rights for people at work. She has led negotiations for more than 200,000 workers.

She added: “I’m a passionate trade unionist and so the party’s commitment to making sure that work pays, that people get a fair shake at work, that they’re able to get more balanced working hours and that we end zero hours contracts, these are real transformative policies that will make a difference to people’s lives. I’m proud of the platform that we fought the campaign on and I’ll be working hard to deliver those with Keir Starmer and the team down in Westminster.”

Baxter contested the seat against the SNP’s Jacqueline Cameron, who was selected by her party after Black confirmed she would not be seeking re-election last year – blaming the “toxic environment” of Westminster. Cameron, a councillor for Johnstone South and Elderslie and depute leader of Renfrewshire Council, secured 13,056 votes.

Baxter knows there is “a lot of work to do” but said she was “keen to get started”. Asked when that work starts, she responded: “Immediately.”

A total of 41,416 votes were cast in the constituency, it was confirmed at the overnight count at Lagoon Leisure Centre, representing a turnout of 57.9 per cent.

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