Labour candidates queue for Glasgow NE

There are at least three serious Labour candidates for the Glasgow North East seat, as the need to name a date looms.

Councillor Gordon Matheson, the City Treasurer, is to apply for selection, putting him on a collision course with the current favourite, constituency party secretary Willie Bain. The Herald also understands that a senior union official with good local connections to the area is up for the fight.

There have been suggestions at Westminster that theballot could be as soon as July 23 in order to coincide with a by-election in Norwich North caused by the resignation of Labour MP Ian Gibson over his expenses, but Herald sources continue to confirm that August 27 is the date.

Labour strategists believe a poor result in an autumn by-election in Glasgow could cast a shadow over the party's annual conference in September.

Councillor Matheson, 42, represents the Anderson-City ward, which has just a few streets inside the Glasgow North East area, but is an ally of Glasgow City Council leader Steven Purcell.

Officially, Labour held back its selection process until after Michael Martin resigned as both the local MP and the Commons Speaker, after criticism of his role in the Westminster expenses scandal.

However, there have already been private talks among senior party figures about the best choice to see off an SNP challenge.

In last week's European elections, Labour polled just 2067 ahead of the SNP in the seat. Last year, the SNP overturned a Labour majority of 13,500 in neighbouring Glasgow East.

The SNP plan to attack Labour over the city council's closure of local schools.

Another Labour councillor tipped for the seat, Paul Rooney, convener of the Strathclyde Joint Police Board, and another Purcell ally, is understood to have ruled himself out of contention Confirming Matheson would put himself forward, a friend said: "He would make a great candidate. He's interested in speaking to the local constituency party about how they will make their choice.

"After Purcell, he's probably the most able councillor in Glasgow." However, a senior Labour figure in the Glasgow North East seat said Bain, a 36-year-old law lecturer and party organiser, remained favourite: "The only thing that might upset that is if London try to interfere."

Councillor Grant Thoms is tipped to be the SNP's candidate in the constituency.

The Herald