 | 'Labour organisers certainly don't want to have a by-election just weeks after the European Parliamentary Election on Thursday, June 4. Some pundits say one of the reasons why the Glasgow East by-election last year was so sensationally snatched by the SNP from Labour was that hundreds of Labour voters were on holiday.' Frank Hurley in the Glaswegian, 28 th May 2009. |  |
A by-ELECTION at ousted Michael Martin's Glasgow North East constituency looks unlikely before early October, according to political pundits.
And Prime Minister Gordon Brown is unlikely to bow to demands from other political parties to call an early General Election following the MPs expenses furore.
Certainly Glasgow Labour organisers don't want to rush into a local by-election anytime soon as the expenses debacle continues and Mr Martin's seat is "at risk" with an estimated 7000 majority.
There is still local resentment over school closures in the area.
Labour organisers certainly don't want to have a by-election just weeks after the European Parliamentary Election on Thursday, June 4. Some pundits say one of the reasons why the Glasgow East by-election last year was so sensationally snatched by the SNP from Labour was that hundreds of Labour voters were on holiday.
The timing of the Glasgow North East by-election is further complicated because Mr Martin is the Speaker of the House of Commons.
Mr Martin was forced to retire because of his handling of the MPs expenses scandal.
He will retire as Speaker on Sunday, June 21, and is expected to announce that he will not stand as an MP.
On Monday, June 22, the remaining 645 MPs at Westminster will hold a secret ballot to elect a new Speaker.
Usually the party of the retiring MP "moves the writ" in Parliament for the by-election date.
But in the unusual circumstance of the Speaker retiring as well as giving up his local constituency seat, it's the Labour Government who will choose the date.
A by-election must be called within three months of an MP resigning or retiring and the date chosen must be no more than a month later.
One Labour insider explained: "The date is very likely to be September or early October.
"We certainly won't be asking voters to go to the polls soon after the European elections.
"We would be far more happy having the election when summer holidays are over and voters can concentrate their minds of local election issues."
Nationally opinion polls say people want a General Election soon after the expenses revelations have sullied Parliament's reputation.
But do Glasgow people want a General Election or do they want to wait until Parliament itself has cleaned up its pigsty of a mess over expenses?
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