“I’m honoured to have been selected as the SNP candidate in my home constituency.

Full statement

The election in May is really important. It’s our chance to send a strong message to Boris Johnson that we want to take a different path and secure our right to decide our own future. Scotland’s future must be in Scotland’s hands. Independence is crucial to the fulfilment of our potential as a nation, it will allow every community across Scotland to flourish.

“As your MSP I’ll always put Kelvin first. The Coronavirus Pandemic, Brexit and the Climate Emergency present major challenges for every community across this constituency. I will work tirelessly to find meaningful solutions. We need to support our businesses and individuals across Kelvin and build a better, greener future for the next generations.”

Kaukab has been campaigning for independence since the 1990s and has worked as a teacher in communities across Scotland for almost 30 years and lives in the west end of the city with her family.

She stood as the SNP candidate in the first Scottish Parliament election in 1999 against the late Donald Dewar. During her time in the party she has taken on other political heavyweights including former Chancellor Alistair Darling at the 2010 General Election.

Kaukab is hugely passionate about education and ensuring that every young person in Scotland is given an equal chance to succeed. She brings first hand experience to the table along with a determination to make Scottish education even better.

Kaukab was selected as the SNP candidate for Glasgow Kelvin in November 2020 after many years campaigning for the party in the constituency. If elected in May 2021, she will be the first woman of colour to sit in the Scottish Parliament as an MSP.