COUNCIL opposition leader Chris McEleny has thrown his hat into the ring to become Inverclyde’s MP at next year’s Westminster elections.

The local authority SNP group chief, above right, has confirmed he intends to seek his party’s backing to contest the seat at the General Election in May.

The process of selecting the party’s candidate for Inverclyde is under way and Councillor McEleny believes he can make history by becoming the first SNP MP for the area.

Labour’s Iain McKenzie has been the area’s MP since his by-election victory in 2011 following the death of David Cairns.

Mr McKenzie won by a near 6,000 majority over the SNP’s Anne McLaughlin three years ago and has already been selected as his party’s choice to fight for the seat next year.

But Mr McEleny believes momentum is with the SNP following last month’s referendum result, which pro-UK campaigners won by a slender 86 votes.

Mr McEleny said: “The process for selecting who will be the SNP candidate for the 2015 Westminster election has now started.

“Over the last month I have been contacted by many people asking if I will seek nomination to be the SNP candidate.

“Growing up I never thought of myself as one day being a politician. It was after following in my dad’s footsteps serving my apprenticeship that, as a young trade unionist, I was inspired to become a councillor to help make a difference in my local community.

“Since the referendum I now believe that to truly make that difference Inverclyde must elect an SNP MP. An MP that can demand the powers that Scotland was promised so that we can use them to improve our local communities whilst continuing to progress Scotland forward.

“This is a job I would be honoured to do and therefore I will be seeking nomination to be the SNP candidate to be elected MP for Inverclyde.” But the local SNP group leader is likely to face a fight to have his name on the ballot paper with a number of potential candidates being touted for the role — including from his own ranks.

Councillor Math Campbell-Sturgess did not rule himself out when asked by the Tele.

He said: “Locally, I hope next year the people will elect an SNP MP who can help hold Westminster to account and ensure we get the devolution-max we were promised before the referendum.” Depute party leader Councillor Jim MacLeod, local MSP Stuart McMillan and McGill’s Buses managing director Ralph Roberts, who stood as a council candidate for the party in 2102, have also been touted.