September date expected for Springburn by-election

Published on Wednesday 20 May 2009 11:24

A by-election in Commons Speaker Michael Martin's constituency is likely to be in September, a local Labour Party chief said today.

And the party will face a "hard fight" to hold Glasgow North East, according Gerry Leonard, who was Mr Martin's election agent and chairman of the constituency Labour Party.

But he said Mr Martin has not yet said he is stepping down as an MP – only as Speaker of the House of Commons.

"If there's an election, I would expect it to be in September," he

said.

"But there's a chance it would be over the summer months."

Asked if Mr Martin will definitely stand down as an MP, Mr Leonard added: "I've not spoken to Michael since he made his statement in the Commons but I think he needs to have further talks with the leaders of the parties to finalise his own position."

Mr Martin held the seat in 2005 with a 10,000 majority over the SNP, but no other major party contested the Speaker's seat in line with convention.

The seat borders the Glasgow East constituency where the Nationalists overturned a 13,500 majority to take the seat from Labour last summer.

"I think it will be a difficult election," Mr Leonard added.

"I think people are upset about the expenses scandal that's happened at Westminster.

"That will have an effect on any election that comes up and it will be a hard fight but we're up for the challenge."

Mr Leonard said the party had potential local candidates – "people who were born and bred in Springburn".

"There's a few candidates, local councillors who are up to the mark, who could do very well – Elaine McDougall, James Todd and Alan Stewart –so there will be plenty of people."

Labour MP Anne McGuire told the programme there was no confirmation that Mr Martin would stand down as an MP before the next election.

"However, if there were to be a by-election, then of course we will be in there fighting to win it." she said.

Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael said it was only convention that Speakers stepped down from Parliament or were given a peerage.

And he suggested it would be possible for Mr Martin to remain in the Commons as an independent MP for the remainder of this Parliament.

"If he wants to do that, and knowing that we are now in the last 12 months of a Parliament whenever the General Election comes, then I don't think there would be many people who could really complain about that," said Mr Carmichael, MP for Orkney and Shetland.