 | 'This is a staggering admission from the Labour party that it can't hold on to any of its seats in Scotland. Labour is harnessing the diplomatic process to avoid losing another by-election.' Central Scotland MSP Christina McKelvie, 6 th October 2008. |  |
Former First Minister Jack McConnell has had his appointment as High Commissioner to Malawi delayed until 2011 to become the Prime MinisterÕs special peace envoy.
The new role means that McConnell will be able to stay on as an MSP beyond 2009 when he was due to go to Malawi Š avoiding a by-election in his Motherwell and Wishaw constituency.
The SNP were quick to attach the appointment with Central Scotland MSP Christina McKelvie describing Labour as running scared of losing a by-election in the Motherwell & Wishaw constituency: "Jack McConnell was offered the post of High Commissioner to Malawi specifically because of his track record in the country, not because he was a professional diplomat.
"This is a staggering admission from the Labour party that it can't hold on to any of its seats in Scotland. Labour is harnessing the diplomatic process to avoid losing another by-election.
"This is Labour's third safest Scottish Parliamentary seat and it has the largest majority of all their seats. That Gordon Brown has to resort to this blatant political manipulation in order to avoid defeat in a by-election shows how badly Labour has fallen in the public's eyes."
However, McConnell said his new job was a serious, commenting: "I am delighted to take up this challenge for the Prime Minister. Having visited Rwanda in the last year and seen the devastation caused by internal conflict,I know that it is a serious job to deal with serious issues.
"There have been a lot of comments from opposition parties who donÕt seem to see a role for Scottish politicians to make a contribution outside Scotland and to use their experience to help others. I have got a bigger vision for Scotland than that small-minded approach."
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