Labour Party Support For McLeish Waning

28th January 2002
It was confirmed today that a Glenrothes Branch of the Labour Party voted against reselecting Henry McLeish as candidate for the 2003 elections for the Scottish Parliament. Details are rather thin on the ground, but it is to be imagined that this move is a response to the Officegate scandal involving sublets of Henry's constituency office which were not declared to the Fees Office in Westminster and to McLeish's handling of the affair which has left him open to allegations of attempting to deceive both the Scottish Parliament and more importantly the People of Scotland.

The Glenrothes Constituency Labour Party can be forgiven if they have lost trust in the former First Minister. Recent 'kiss and tell' diclosures by former McLeish aide Peter McMahon have portrayed McLeish as secretive, impulsive, and unwilling to take advice from his eighty thousand pound a year advisors.

The Scottish Socialist Party line on McLeish is that he should have retired from politics on 8th November when he resigned as First Minister. One of the fundamental qualities for MSP's (as outlined in the Scottish Parliament's Code Of Conduct) is that of HONESTY. Failing to declare income to the Fees Office, may have been a mistake - that's a matter for the Police at the moment.

FAILING TO DECLARE A SIXTH SUBLET WHEN EVERYONE IN SCOTLAND WAS LOOKING FOR A FULL DISCLOSURE WAS DISHONEST.

Henry McLeish showed himself to be unfit to be an MSP far less First Minister.