THE strength of Jo Swinson’s support among her own local activists has been questioned after she recruited a Lib Dem election candidate standing in the north of England to run the campaign for re-election to her Scottish seat.

Mike Ross is running the LibDem leader’s campaign battle in East Dunbartonshire, despite being the Hull North candidate.

Last week he missed out on campaigning in Hull to attend the opening of postal votes at the East Dunbartonshire council buildings in Kirkintilloch.

There is also speculation he will attend Thursday’s count in Kirkintilloch, rather than his own.

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Amy Callaghan, the SNP’s candidate for East Dunbartonshire, said Ross’s recruitment suggested Swinson was struggling to get strong support locally. “This is absolute desperation stakes from Jo Swinson and the LibDems,” she said.

Swinson was first elected as MP for East Dunbartonshire in 2005 but lost the seat a decade later to the SNP’s John Nicolson. She retook it from Nicolson in 2017. The SNP are determined to win it back on Thursday.

Swinson began her UK campaign as a candidate for Prime Minister but has since faced questions over whether she will remain as LibDem leader and whether she will win regain her seat after a mediocre campaign and worsening performance in opinion polls.

At the UK level she has faced criticism over tactical decisions and voter appeal, while locally opponents have seized on her absence from the constituency and a no-show at an election hustings.

East Dunbartonshire will be among the most closely watched seats when the results are announced. The latest YouGov polling suggests a LibDem hold but with a significantly reduced majority.

SNP candidate Amy Callaghan has been supported by former LibDem and Labour voters

Callaghan added: “For a campaign that delusionally started off touting herself as PM, she is now clearly worried about her ability to remain an MP. By parachuting in a candidate from Hull to run the campaign in East Dunbartonshire, it really hammers home the pop-up MP approach of Jo Swinson.

“Whilst the LibDems are clearly struggling for activists, I’ve been out every day campaigning for change.

My campaign has even had ex-Labour and LibDem voters out on the streets, taking our positive, progressive message for change to the people of East Dunbartonshire”.

As well as being the LibDems’ candidate for Hull North, Ross is the leader of the LibDem group on Hull Council.

His register of interests at the council includes a declaration that he will be working for the party from October to December this year.

A picture of Ross campaigning with Swinson in Milngavie was posted on Twitter on December 2 by East Dunbartonshire LibDems. “Beautiful day out canvassing in Milngavie with @joswinson ... a fantastic welcome on the doorstep,” said the post.

Responding to the tweet, Hull Labour Club wrote on Twitter: “Always great to see local candidates representing Hull interests in ... Scotland.”

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Swinson’s role as a minister in the LibDem-Conservative coalition when she backed austerity policies, including cuts to welfare spending and an increase in university fees to £9000, have plagued the LibDems’ election campaign.

Last week in an interview with the BBC’s Andrew Neil she was forced to apologise for her role in the coalition government when she was pressed over why her party is seeking to roll back several measures she voted for in the 2010-15 administration.

“I am sorry that I did that. It was not the right policy. And we should have stopped it,” the LibDem leader said, when asked by Neil if she wanted to apologise to people affected by the bedroom tax, saying her party would reverse the policy.

Ross stood for the LibDems in Hull North in the 2017 General Election. Labour’s Diana Johnson won with 23,685 votes, the Tories’ Lia Nici-Townend came second with 9363 votes, while Ross came third with 1869 votes.

A Scottish LibDem spokeswoman said: “Mike Ross has been part of the Liberal Democrats’ significantly increased UK-wide campaign team since before the General Election was called.”