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A NEW MSP who claimed he needed "jabs" to visit a town where he was campaigning came under furious attack yesterday.

Former car salesman George Adam, who was elected as SNP MSP for Paisley this year, made the jibe about Greenock on Facebook.

Angry locals protested about his insult to the town. And party officials were said to be privately furious at the gaffe in the run-up to tomorrow's Westminster by-election in the Greenock and Inverclyde constituency.

Adam, 42, told pals on the social networking website: "That's me back at the centre of the universe after an afternoon canvassing in Greenock and Inverclyde byelection."

A friend replied: "A buddie in Greenock. You brave man. Do you know they need passports to come out of there?"

Adam replied: "And jabs."

Labour MSP for Inverclyde Duncan McNeil accused the SNP of not taking the area seriously.

He said: "It seems the SNP can't help but talk this area down. "It's clear they don't share people's ambitions for Inverclyde.

"This will cause a lot of red faces at SNP HQ. I think he should be a lot more careful about what he says about people here and stop insulting us."

However, SNP West of Scotland MSP Stuart McMillan defended his party colleague. He said: "This is desperate stuff from Duncan McNeil, who has made enough cheeky comments about Paisley in his time to know better.

"I represent both Paisley and Greenock and I know most folk would recognise this for the light-hearted football banter and rivalry that takes place between Greenock and Paisley."

The contest is a race between Labour's Iain McKenzie, the leader of Inverclyde Council, and Anne McLaughlin, a former Glasgow SNP MSP who lost her seat in the Holyrood election last month.

Insiders from both parties say the result is too close to call.

Bookies Ladbrokes yesterday made Labour 2-7 to hold the seat, while the Nats were a 5-2 shot. Labour MP David Cairns, who died aged 44 from pancreatitis last month, had a majority of more than 14,000.

But Labour held the equivalent Holyrood seat by just 511 votes.

Labour - stung by claims of taking a once-safe seat for granted - have campaigned hard, with visits from leader Ed Miliband, his brother David, Gordon Brown, Jim Murphy and Douglas Alexander.

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls hit the campaign trail yesterday and said: "I am taking the fight to the Tory-led Government, doing all I can to protect people in places like Inverclyde from their savage cuts."