 | 'One thing could stand in the Brownites' way. Final approval for all foreign postings is given by the Foreign Office. Ultimately, it could be up to David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, who is not short of ambition to lead the party, to make the final call.' Gerri Peev in the Scotsman, 14 th August 2008. |  |
GORDON Brown is still hopeful Jack McConnell will not take up his post as High Commissioner to Malawi.
So say Labour insiders, who told The Scotsman they were pulling out all the stops to try to make the former First Minister realise that his country and his party need him. With the potential loss of Glenrothes in the expected autumn by-election, the last thing the PM wants is another contest in Motherwell and Wishaw.
But one thing could stand in the Brownites' way. Final approval for all foreign postings is given by the Foreign Office. Ultimately, it could be up to David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, who is not short of ambition to lead the party, to make the final call.
No surprises, then, if Mr Miliband has already organised Mr McConnell's vaccinations.
After a long search, Labour hopes to have a candidate in place for Glenrothes by early next week. Sources say it will be a local rather than national name.
Meanwhile, the SNP plans to announce its candidate by the end of today.
A meeting was held by the national executive committee on Wednesday night to discuss the timing of the announcement.
Short of a major shock, Peter Grant, the leader of Fife Council, is expected to fight the seat for the Nats.
Insiders say the party is likely to stick to its recipe of attacking Mr Brown's economic record, contrasting this with Alex Salmond's record in government and sprinkling a bit of the local candidate's own achievements.
One issue that they may refrain from stirring up too much, though, is the perceived links between the Prime Minister and Margaret Thatcher, which worked so well for the SNP in the Glasgow East by-election.
Since then, the First Minister has said that Scotland did not really mind Mrs Thatcher's economic policies, although it had a problem with their social implications. Those are words that could come back to haunt him.
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