SCOTTISH Borders Council’s Independent leader David Parker has rubbished a suggestion that he wants to replace Christine Grahame as the SNP MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale.

That scenario was flagged up last week by Tory MSP John Lamont (Ettrick Roxburgh and Berwickshire) in correspondence with the Hawick Callants Club.

Mr Lamont was writing to the club, explaining his unsuccessful role in attempting to find a home for the Great Tapestry of Scotland in Hawick and regretting that SBC has ruled this out in favour of Tweedbank.

Mr Lamont claimed in his letter: “It does seem that Councillor Parker has an agenda of his own at the moment.

“I suspect he is positioning himself to succeed Ms Grahame in the Scottish Parliament and this is all part of that campaign. Time will tell.” Mr Parker, whose Melrose and Leaderdale ward includes Tweedbank, reacted furiously.

“This is a pretty pathetic attempt to distract attention away from the fact that Mr Lamont did little to secure the tapestry for Hawick,” he told the Border Telegraph. “If you look at the evidence it is clear he held one meeting in September last year, promised to do things and fell through on them.

“There are two big flaws in his thinking about my future: firstly, I am not a member of the SNP and, secondly, Ms Grahame is intending to stand again in 2016. Therefore, I cannot envisage the circumstances in which I could become a candidate at the Holyrood election and I have no such plans.” Callants Club president Derick Tait had written to Mr Parker after last month’s announcement that the Scottish Government was prepared to jointly fund a visitor centre for the tapestry – but only near the new train station at Tweedbank.

Mr Tait, who believed the attraction should be in Hawick with its rich textile heritage, wanted to know why the site had been selected when a business case authorised by the council had not been completed and presented to elected members.

Mr Parker stated in his reply: “If the business case does not support Tweedbank then the project will go no further and it is likely the tapestry will be located elsewhere in Scotland.

“The trustees [of the tapestry] have a number of other potential sites outwith the Borders which are attractive to them and which they will take forward in the event that Tweedbank is not secured.

“However, if the business case and the feasibility study into the tourism potential of the railway are positive then councillors will be asked in November to approve the Tweedbank site in the knowledge that the Scottish Government will be a major funding contributor.” The Border Telegraph has learned that the Scottish Government has given a commitment to pay up to £2.5million to house the tapestry at Tweedbank – around half the estimated total capital costs.

Mr Parker told us that it was likely SBC would contribute part, but not all, of the balance, although he believed grant funding from other sources would be available.

And he gave an assurance that the running costs of the centre would have to be “revenue neutral” and not become a burden on future council budgets.

Meanwhile, Ms Grahame has confirmed she has no intention of standing down as an MSP.

“Reports of my retirement have been greatly exaggerated and I will be standing for the Scottish Parliament at the next election,” she told us yesterday.