Clydesdale's three MPs are standing again

The longest-serving of them. Scotland’s sole Conservative MP, David Mundell, was first to declare that he will seek re-election to his Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweedale seat.

The Scottish Secretary, first elected in 2005, said: “We need strong and stable leadership as we negotiate to leave the European Union, and that’s why we must have a general election.

“It will give the country certainty for a full five years, not just up to the point we leave the EU but beyond it.

“Without that strong and stable leadership, divisions at Westminster risk undermining our efforts to secure the best deal for Scotland and the whole of the UK just as the negotiations reach their most critical phase.

“Already the Scottish National Party are talking of voting against the legislation that will formally repeal our membership of the EU, Labour are threatening to vote against the final agreement and the Lib Dems are saying they want to bring government to a standstill.

“The nationalists are also continuing with their misguided demand for an independence referendum campaign – something most Scots do not want.”

Lanark and Hamilton East’s SNP MP, Angela Crawley, confirmed her candidature just hours afterwards, saying: “This snap election is a huge U-turn for the UK Government.After months of ruling out a vote, the Prime Minister believes she can remove any opposition to her hard-Brexit plans by taking advantage of a disunited Labour Party.

“It’s Theresa May putting the interests of her party above the interests of the country.

“For voters, the choice is clear. Faced with the most right-wing Government since Thatcher, only the SNP will put Scotland first.

“I have been privileged to be MP for Lanark and Hamilton East since May 2015.

“It’s the area in which I grew up, the place I call home and I am proud to be its representative at Westminster.

“Since my election, I have worked every day to repay the trust the electorate placed in me only a few years ago.

“I will seek re-election so that I may continue the job that I have started. Between now and June 8, I and my party colleagues will work harder than ever to retain the trust of the Scottish people.”

Fellow SNP MP Lisa Cameron said: “It has been an absolute privilege to represent our constituency of East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow.

“I grew up in this constituency, and your priorities have been, and always will be, my priorities.

“I have worked immensely hard every day since election, and I am proud to stand once again as my party’s candidate in June on my record in Parliament, my work across our constituency and my dedication for the past two years as chair of the disability all-party Parliamentary group.

“This election, I believe, is firmly an election for the heart and minds of the Scottish people. It is about the type of society we are and that which we wish to be.

“We must show compassion and firmly reject cruel Tory policies that have involved balancing the books on the backs of our most vulnerable.”