Labour facing humiliation in Glasgow East

Labour is facing humiliation in Thursday's Glasgow East by-election, with less than a thousand votes separating it from defeat in one of the party's safest seats.

The Scottish Nationalists need to overturn a huge 13,507 deficit to win, but claim they are making inroads into Labour's core vote and internal polling shows they are "there or thereabouts".

Alex Salmond, the SNP leader and Scottish First Minister, said that the Labour advantage has been whittled down to three figures.

Labour insiders said their polling shows they are set to win by a thousand votes or less, but argued that so unpopular is the Government that "any win will do".

Even Wendy Alexander, who recently resigned as the party's Scottish Parliament leader after a disastrous tenure, has been on the campaign trail this week.

A victory, no matter how small, would give Gordon Brown a temporary stay of execution until the autumn, when the party conference is held.

However, more pressure would be heaped on the Prime Minister should the Scottish Nationalists come close to getting the 22 per cent swing from Labour they require.

This would send a message to already dissatisfied party backbenchers, the majority of who have much smaller majorities, that none of their seats are safe.

Mr Salmond told the Daily Telegraph: "The people in Glasgow East are going to pass a very severe verdict on Gordon Brown's Government. The Labour vote is in meltdown.

"It's not just the size of the majority in Glasgow East - these are people who have voted in Labour for half a century. These are core Labour votes that are transferring."

Asked about the number of votes separating the two parties, Mr Salmond said it was "three figures rather than four".

SNP campaign insiders said they are targeting 'soft' Labour voters using so-called 'conversion canvassing', and are seeing a "strong move" towards their party.

"It's going down to the wire. There's no question we are there or thereabouts," one senior party official said.

Labour was cautious about its chances of victory, with one party source admitting tomorrow's poll will be close and estimating that only a thousand votes would separate the two parties in its 25th safest seat.

A Downing Street source predicted: "It looks to us as if it's going to be tight but we should be okay."

The contest follows the resignation of the sitting MP, David Marshall, last month on health grounds.

Controversy has surrounded some of his expenses, as he claimed £17,000 per year for running his office from his home in the Shettleston area of Glasgow.

He also paid £75,000 per year in staff costs to one person, listed a C Marshall, thought to be his 66-year-old wife, Christine.

It was revealed yesterday that he let his 31-year-old daughter, Christina, operate two property companies from the same address.

The firms, which handle a £270,000 property portfolio, were registered at Mr Marshall's home in March this year.

Ian Robertson, the Liberal Democrat candidate said "serious questions" had to be asked and called for assurances no taxpayers' money was used inappropriately.

David Cairns MP, Labour's campaign manager, insisted Mr Marshall stood down on doctor's orders but refused to comment further.

See the full article at Telegraph