Young Labour Party member William Campbell has been announced as the first winner of the McAllister Award, set up by Inverness & Nairn Labour Party in memory of well-known Highland journalist and Labour Party stalwart Bill McAllister.
The award aims to encourage greater involvement with the party’s activities by funding one new member every year to attend Scottish Labour Party Annual Conference as a Visitor.
This year’s award winner William Campbell attended the Scottish Labour Conference in Glasgow in the company of local delegate Councillor Michael Gregson and other members from the Highlands and across Scotland.
William Campbell, age 24, lives in Nairn and is currently President of the Highlands & Islands Student Association.
Before taking up this sabbatical post, he was studying politics at UHI Inverness.
He joined the Labour Party in 2021 and has become increasingly active, particularly during the 2024 General Election when he put in long hours campaigning on the doorsteps in Nairn.
He is now the local Labour Party’s Youth and Student Officer.
William received a certificate marking his award from Bill’s widow Bet McAllister, former Councillor for Inverness Central, at an informal lunch in Inverness’s Victorian Market.
Bet McAllister said:
“Bill was a Labour man through and through, and was much loved by party members across the Highlands.
“He always went out of his way to be welcoming and supportive to new members, and he would have been very proud of this award in his name.
“And I know he would have been very impressed by William as our first winner.”
William Campbell said:
“I joined the Scottish Labour Party because I am passionate about working for meaningful social change, and supporting policies that align with my values of equality, fairness and community empowerment.
“I’m honoured to receive this award and I am looking forward to engaging further and learning more about the party at Scottish Labour Conference.”
Councillor Michael Gregson said:
“In a very short time, William has become a great asset to the local Labour Party, and I am thrilled to have had his company at the weekend’s conference.
“He is smart, capable and engaging, and he is driven by a strong set of values based on equality and fairness.
“William represents the new generation of change Scotland needs and I am confident he has a great future in Labour politics in the Highlands and Scotland.”
