Western Isles Labour Party members are set to select their candidate for the next general election to the Westminster Parliament this week, it is understood.

One of the Outer Hebrides' best known and most widely-read journalists, Torcuil Crichton was named by The Herald newspaper this afternoon (Tuesday January 30) as the only remaining candidate for selection.

The Herald reported that Torcuil’s only opponent had been technology professional and UHI board member Innis Montgomery, who has reportedly pulled out of the contest after a change in employment circumstances.

A journalist, broadcaster and writer Torcuil comes from Swordale in Point and was the Daily Record's Westminster editor until last September.

He has worked on several national and regional newspapers – including the West Highland Free Press – and for the BBC as a director and producer on European current affairs.

In 2017 he won the Scottish Newspaper Society’s Scottish political journalist of the year award.

Sources suggest that only an affirmative meeting of Western Isles Labour party members on Thursday stands between Torcuil and the chance to challenge the SNP's long standing island representative Angus Brendan MacNeil. Torcuil, who born in December 1964, is almost six years older than Mr MacNeil who has been the constituency representative since 2005. 

(Aspects of Torcuil's career have been corrected since this article was first published)