SCOTTISH finance secretary Derek Mackay is confident of an SNP general election win in Inverclyde – despite the party failing to take control of the council.

Mr Mackay was speaking as he officially launched Ronnie Cowan’s Westminster bid in Greenock.

In his first interview as the party’s general election campaign chief, Mr Mackay told the Telegraph that the SNP returning seven of 12 candidates at the Inverclyde Council poll was a good result and that Mr Cowan is the ideal person to speak up for the area in the House of Commons.

Mr Mackay said: “I suppose you could argue that the only disappointment was we won on the popular share of the vote but we didn’t get the most number of councillors.

“It could be argued that it would have been better if we matched those votes with a greater number of seats as well.

“But increasing the share of the vote and an increase in the number of councillors puts us in a strong position just marginally behind the Labour party.”

Mr MacKay opened Mr Cowan’s Westminster campaign office in West Blackhall Street on Friday and gave his backing to the area’s SNP hopeful.

He said: “Ronnie’s been very active and the SNP have a strong record of attendance and engagement compared to their Labour counterparts contributing to debates, voting record and raising matters of importance to the people of Scotland.

“That’s why it’s all the more important at this time that we ensure Scotland continues to have a strong voice when the Prime Minister is determined to silence any opposition to her plans, which for the people of this constituency means continued and deeper austerity, further attacks on welfare, inadequate support for our economy and the risks that come along with an emboldened Tory party because Labour is so weak, we’ve never known an opposition to be so weak.”

Mr Cowan, who is seeking re-election after just two years in office, is determined to finish what he started.

He said: “It’s absolutely great to have Derek along for the launch because we share Kilmacolm overlapping our Holyrood and Westminster constituencies.

“I always looked upon my appointment as a five-year project.

“We’re two years into it and we believe we’ve laid very, very strong foundations to build on and that’s what we’re looking for now, the confidence of the people of Inverclyde to say ‘you’ve done a good, solid two years, we believe you’re going to take this place further’.”