The Labour Party is facing the prospect of a difficult by-election in Scotland later this year, following the decision by the rebel MP Mr Dennis Canavan to resign his Falkirk West seat at Westminster.
Mr Canavan made his move as polls suggest Labour's Scottish ratings at their lowest for a generation. The latest System Three poll for the Herald newspaper shows the Scottish National Party leading Labour in declared voting intentions for the Scottish parliament, and the two parties neck and neck in voting intentions for Scottish seats at Westminster.
Mr Canavan was expelled from the Labour Party after successfully standing in Falkirk last year as an Independent for the Scottish parliament, having failed to be selected as a Labour candidate. In a famous personal victory he claimed his seat in Edinburgh with a majority of 12,192 over Labour's official candidate, barely 1,600 fewer votes than his majority in the general election two years earlier.
His hopes of a reconciliation with Labour rejected, Mr Canavan yesterday accused the party leadership of "arrogance and intransigence". The fiery left-winger said he had written to Mr Tony Blair in July seeking a meeting to discuss the possibility of a by-election, and the prospect "however remote" of his re-entry into the party.
Declaring his intention at this stage to remain "neutral" in the forthcoming by-election, Mr Canavan said: "I think the party leadership has let down the constituency Labour Party and the constituents of Falkirk West." Recalling Mr Blair's earlier attempts to block Mr Rhodri Morgan in Wales and Mr Ken Livingstone in London, Mr Canavan added: "There's no sign that any lessons have been learned."