Steven Purcell - The gay, devout Catholic who rose rapidly from working class roots

Published on Tuesday 2 March 2010 21:51

UNTIL yesterday, Steven Purcell was regarded as Labour's most promising Scottish politician and had been touted as future leader of the party north of the Border.

In charge of Scotland's largest council for the past four-and-a-half years, he easily had the highest profile of any local authority politician in the country.

Regarded as a highly capable politician with a flair for publicity, an inkling of his ambition could be found in his office where he proudly displayed pictures of himself with Tony Blair, Bill Clinton and Gordon Brown.

Mr Blair, who he admires more than Mr Brown, once hailed him as a "visionary civic leader".

His tenure at the head of Glasgow City Council had been marked by significant successes, particularly his campaign to bring the Commonwealth Games to the city in 2014 and his efforts to impose a council tax freeze three years before the policy was adopted by the SNP.

Installed as council leader aged just 32, Mr Purcell had been praised for his sure touch and many saw him as the heir apparent to Iain Gray as Scottish Labour leader. This crisis, however, appears to have put paid to those ambitions for the time being.

His political career began with a meeting with Donald Dewar when the late First Minister visited him and his classmates at St Thomas Aquinas Secondary School.

Mr Purcell, the son of a roofer, was inspired to join Labour and helped Mr Dewar campaign in the 1987 election.

The following year, the keen Celtic fan left school at the age of 16 and started work on a YTS scheme in a building society.

But it was politics that consumed him. By 1995, he was Scotland's youngest councillor representing the Blairdardie ward of Glasgow at the age of 22.

Mr Purcell was named as Councillor of the Year at last year's Scottish Politician of the Year awards.

He was given the honour for his role in delivering the Commonwealth Games to the city and a guaranteed "living wage" to thousands of Glasgow workers.

However, yesterday's resignation is not the first time controversy has visited Mr Purcell.

In 2006, he announced that he was homosexual and that he was separating from his wife.

Despite his homosexuality, he remains a devout Catholic. His determination to keep his personal life private has meant that he has been evasive about how he reconciles his sexuality with his faith when questioned on the matter.

His political life has not been without its difficulties, either.

One of his most controversial decisions has been to oversee a shake-up of Glasgow's primary schools.

Despite protests, the council pushed through the closure of 11 schools and nine nurseries which were suffering from poor buildings and falling rolls.

More recently, Mr Purcell was seen championing the case for Scotland's largest city when he condemned the decision to scrap the Glasgow Airport Rail Link.