SNP denies meltdown as it looks for fourth-choice by-election candidate

THE SNP last night denied that its campaign to win Glasgow North East was in meltdown as the party started the process of trying to find a new candidate.

David Kerr, a former BBC journalist, is now the favourite to become the party's candidate after James Dornan, stepped down just days after being selected.

Mr Kerr, who was surprisingly defeated in the constituency selection meeting last week by Mr Dornan, would become the party's fourth choice candidate.

Mr Dornan stepped down over revelations he had breached charity law by acting as a trustee for Glasgow City Council's sports and culture trust while he was bankrupt.

But his selection has brought up allegations of divisions in the party leadership with Mr Dornan understood to have been the preferred candidate of deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon, the MSP for Govan, while Mr Kerr was understood to be First Minister Alex Salmond's choice.

And sources within the Glasgow party are said to be furious about Mr Dornan's treatment, claiming he was forced to step down by the party leadership in favour of Mr Kerr.

But, in a further twist, a source close to Mr Kerr claimed he is having second thoughts because of the bad publicity surrounding the selection and the embarrassment of losing the first time round. If this happens the party will be forced to look for a fifth choice candidate.

The fiasco holds echoes of Labour's ill-fated campaign in the neighbouring Glasgow East by-election last summer when their candidate, MSP Margaret Curran, emerged as the fifth choice following a botched selection. Mr Dornan was only nominated after another city councillor, Grant Thoms, stepped down following revelations that he was the author of a controversial blog.

The original candidate, Anne McLaughlin, stepped down when she became an MSP following the death of Bashir Ahmad.

Yesterday, Labour officials, who have chosen local activist Willie Bain to run, mocked the SNP's predicament and called on them to find a local candidate.

Labour MSP for Glasgow Springburn Paul Martin, the son of Speaker Michael Martin who is vacating the seat, said: "The SNP campaign here is in complete, meltdown.

"On Sunday they were delivering leaflets saying James Dornan was their candidate. Now they have no credibility left."

He added: "Alex Salmond has already started using the crisis to get his preferred man David Kerr in, even though he failed to win just a week ago. That really would be the mother of all stitch-ups, given that 60 per cent of their local members opposed him last time."

Following their stunning victory in Glasgow East last year the SNP was expected to put in a strong challenge in the neighbouring constituency when a by-election is eventually called.

Last night, a party spokeswoman insisted that despite the difficulties the SNP's campaign is not in meltdown.

"We are busy campaigning on the streets and knocking doors," she said. "We are getting the message out there and getting a good response from voters."

She added that the local party is expected to have another candidate in place by the end of the week.

Mr Kerr was unavailable for comment yesterday.