Edinburgh - Reports that Scotland's First Minister-in-waiting, Mr Jack McConnell, asked MPs to contribute money to keep the woman with whom he was having an affair in her post as a press officer were last night played down by the Labour Party. A party spokesman said such an appeal for money was made, but by the Scottish branch of the party and not by Mr McConnell personally.
The revelation came after Mr McConnell gave a press conference on Tuesday to announce he had an extra-marital affair seven years ago with a woman whom he refused to identify. But after being named in several newspapers, Ms Maureen Smith, a press officer with the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council, yesterday issued a statement confirming she had been romantically involved with Mr McConnell.
The Daily Record reports that while general secretary of the Labour Party, Mr McConnell appealed to MPs to contribute £100 so that Ms Smith could remain in her job as a party press officer. On Tuesday morning Mr McConnell gave an emotional press conference, with his wife Bridget at his side, during which he said he had made "mistakes" and let everybody down. But by 5 p.m. he had been confirmed as the sole candidate to replace Mr Henry McLeish as Scottish Labour Party leader. This makes him a virtual certainty to be elected Scotland's third First Minister by MSPs next Thursday.