Scottish Conservative leadership candidate Murdo Fraser wants A9 dualling to be accelerated ‘otherwise, we will continue to see more lives being needlessly lost’
Scottish Conservative leadership candidate MSP Murdo Fraser will renew his party’s calls for the A9 dualling to be accelerated as he returns to his hometown for this weekend’s party leadership hustings.
The prospective leader of the opposition in the Scottish Parliament echoed calls by Highland MSPs who now want more work done faster “otherwise, we will continue to see more lives being needlessly lost.”
The issue is likely to come up at the hustings which is only open to members of the Conservative party and will take place at the Drumossie Hotel on Saturday.
Mr Fraser was born and grew up in Inverness and was educated at Inverness Royal Academy before going on to study law at Aberdeen University. After a career as a lawyer, he entered the Scottish Parliament in 2001, and is now the longest-serving Scottish Conservative MSP.
He is a long-term campaigner for upgrading of the A9, having been a victim of a serious motor accident in 1990 on a single carriageway section, which left him with multiple fractures.
Now he is now calling for the SNP Government to accelerate the long-delayed dualling programme.
Mr Fraser said: “It is a real pleasure to be back in my hometown of Inverness for the leadership hustings for members across the Highlands. It is particularly fitting that the event is taking place in the Drumossie Hotel, which is where my parents had their wedding reception in 1960.
“As a Highlander myself, I will be making a pitch to Party members from across the Highlands and Islands that we need to be a party for all of Scotland, not just those areas where we currently hold constituency seats.
“We need to have policies recognising the concerns of those living in more rural and remote areas, particularly around employment, economic opportunity, access to health services, and connectivity.
“I am a long-term campaigner for the upgrading of the A9 and I am disgusted at the betrayal of people in the Highlands by the SNP in not delivering on their promise to
complete the dualling project between Perth and Inverness by 2025.
“The consequence of this is simply more tragic losses of life, and the loss of economic opportunity.
“I am calling on this SNP government to deliver a firm commitment to get this project completed without further delay. If the public finances do not permit that to happen, due to SNP mismanagement, then they should be prepared to look at private finance as a means of progressing the project.
“Otherwise, we will continue to see more lives being needlessly lost.”
