Labour candidate quits by-election race
Saturday, 5 July 2008 12:00 AM
Labour's preferred candidate for the Glasgow East by-election has quit after failing to turn up to a meeting.
Glasgow councillor George Ryan had been expected to run as Labour councillor for the seat, but failed to turn up for a party meeting last night.
Mr Ryan has now withdrawn from the contest citing "family reasons" and the party will choose another candidate on Monday.
He said: "In the last 24 hours, I have come to recognise the pressures that this campaign would put on my family life, and I have taken the decision to put my family first."
The seat was one of the safest Labour seats in Scotland, with a majority of more than 13,500 over the SNP at the last election.
Scottish National Party leader and Scotland's first minister Alex Salmond said Labour was in "complete meltdown".
He said: "This is their 'lost weekend' - they don't have a leader in Scotland, they don't have a candidate in Glasgow East, and they have a prime minister who refuses to come to the constituency.
"The combination of these extraordinary factors means that Labour have forfeited any right to represent the people of Glasgow East."
The by-election on July 24th was triggered when Labour MP David Marshall stood down earlier in the week.
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