A JOURNALIST and broadcaster who was once the chair of George Galloway’s now-defunct Respect party, has joined Action for Independence (AFI) and is hoping to challenge her former colleague in May’s Holyrood election.
Yvonne Ridley, who spent 11 days in Taliban captivity in 2001, has joined AFI’s South of Scotland branch and has submitted an application to be considered for a place on the party’s regional list.
The 62-year-old was a member of the SNP for a decade and only left to join AFI, which is fielding candidates only in list seats.
She previously stood on the list for Respect in the 2004 European elections in north-east England; in the Leicester South by-election the same year; and in the General Election the following year, finishing fourth in both polls. Ridley tried to win a seat on Westminster City Council in 2006 and was also a Respect candidate in the 2012 by-election in Rotherham.