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Dewar 'feared contest with MPs'

DONALD Dewar did not encourage Labour MPs to stand for the Scottish Parliament because he feared the competition from them, it was claimed yesterday.

The claim came from Labour peer Lord Foulkes who suggested Scotland’s inaugural First Minister feared his style might be cramped if too many Labour MPs moved to Edinburgh.

Former Labour MP Dennis Canavan then went even further and said Mr Dewar had actively tried to prevent some MPs from going to Holyrood - and that Lord Foulkes was guilty of understatement. Lord Foulkes’ comments came in an interview with broadcaster Lesley Riddoch to be broadcast tomorrow on BBC Radio Scotland.

Only a handful of Labour MPs decided to stand for election to Holyrood when the Scottish Parliament was set up in 1999.

Five MPs made the move with Mr Dewar - Sam Galbraith, John Home Robertson, Henry McLeish, Malcolm Chisholm, and John McAllion. They were joined by Lord Watson, the former Labour MP Mike Watson.

Two MPs, Mr Canavan and Ian Davidson, tried and failed to win places on Labour’s list of Holyrood candidates in 1999 and complained at the time. Mr Canavan then won election to Holyrood as an independent.

Lord Foulkes said in the interview: “To be honest, Donald Dewar didn’t encourage too many people to come up with him to Scotland. I think he didn’t want too many people around competing and challenging him.”