Labour and the Unions
Scotland on Sunday reported yesterday that time has finally run out for Anne Moffat MP - a former president of Unison - who was installed into Labour's East Lothian consituency with the support of the trade unions.
The newspaper described Anne Moffat as one of Labour's most controversial Scottish MPs - and went on to report that she had been effectively deselected by her local party - following concerns about her erratic behaviour and anger over her travelling expenses.
Read the full article at http://www.scotsman.com/ - here are the key points:
"Party ditches controversial MP
Scotland on Sunday can reveal that activists have voted overwhelmingly to unseat Anne Moffat as MP for East Lothian and are seeking a candidate to replace her before the general election.
Assuming the decision is ratified by the National Eexecutive Ccouncil, Moffat will become the second sitting Scottish Labour MP to be deselected in the run-up to the election.
Jim Devine, the Livingston MP, was deselected after his expenses were criticised for submitting invoices for electrical work worth £2,157 from a firm with an allegedly fake address and an invalid VAT number.
The move to oust Moffat comes after a long-running battle within the East Lothian Constituency Labour Party.
The wrangling over the seat, to which Moffat was elected in 2001 as Anne Picking, will throw the spotlight on Labour's internal machinations – a state of affairs that will dismay the Labour leadership as the party gears up for the election.
There is the added embarrassment that East Lothian is a constituency shared with the Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray, who represents it at Holyrood.
A meeting of the East Lothian Constituency Party was held on Friday night in Prestonpans Labour Club. Representatives of branches voted 25 to five in favour of a motion calling for her deselection.
Moffat has endured a torrid time as an MP with a number of local activists fighting to get her deselected. Her critics claimed Moffat was not performing as effectively as expected as a Labour MP. Until this weekend she had managed to stave off deselection with the help of trade union support.
She has accused her detractors of "bullying" and suggested she was being targeted because she was a woman in a male environment. In the past she has survived a no-confidence motion and had promised to work closely with the local party to resolve their differences.
Earlier in her political career, she sacked three of her staff, provoking anger in the constituency. Then she faced accusations – dismissed by the authorities – that she abused her Commons expenses.
In 2007 it was revealed that her travelling expenses were the equivalent of driving round the world in a year.
Moffat billed taxpayers for the 24,000-mile claim despite also claiming an air fare a week between London and Edinburgh over the same 12-month period. The parliamentarian also claimed 82 train fares each averaging £119 a ticket, bringing her annual travel costs to more than £45,000.
Moffat could not be contacted last night."
The newspaper described Anne Moffat as one of Labour's most controversial Scottish MPs - and went on to report that she had been effectively deselected by her local party - following concerns about her erratic behaviour and anger over her travelling expenses.
Read the full article at http://www.scotsman.com/ - here are the key points:
"Party ditches controversial MP
Scotland on Sunday can reveal that activists have voted overwhelmingly to unseat Anne Moffat as MP for East Lothian and are seeking a candidate to replace her before the general election.
Assuming the decision is ratified by the National Eexecutive Ccouncil, Moffat will become the second sitting Scottish Labour MP to be deselected in the run-up to the election.
Jim Devine, the Livingston MP, was deselected after his expenses were criticised for submitting invoices for electrical work worth £2,157 from a firm with an allegedly fake address and an invalid VAT number.
The move to oust Moffat comes after a long-running battle within the East Lothian Constituency Labour Party.
The wrangling over the seat, to which Moffat was elected in 2001 as Anne Picking, will throw the spotlight on Labour's internal machinations – a state of affairs that will dismay the Labour leadership as the party gears up for the election.
There is the added embarrassment that East Lothian is a constituency shared with the Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray, who represents it at Holyrood.
A meeting of the East Lothian Constituency Party was held on Friday night in Prestonpans Labour Club. Representatives of branches voted 25 to five in favour of a motion calling for her deselection.
Moffat has endured a torrid time as an MP with a number of local activists fighting to get her deselected. Her critics claimed Moffat was not performing as effectively as expected as a Labour MP. Until this weekend she had managed to stave off deselection with the help of trade union support.
She has accused her detractors of "bullying" and suggested she was being targeted because she was a woman in a male environment. In the past she has survived a no-confidence motion and had promised to work closely with the local party to resolve their differences.
Earlier in her political career, she sacked three of her staff, provoking anger in the constituency. Then she faced accusations – dismissed by the authorities – that she abused her Commons expenses.
In 2007 it was revealed that her travelling expenses were the equivalent of driving round the world in a year.
Moffat billed taxpayers for the 24,000-mile claim despite also claiming an air fare a week between London and Edinburgh over the same 12-month period. The parliamentarian also claimed 82 train fares each averaging £119 a ticket, bringing her annual travel costs to more than £45,000.
Moffat could not be contacted last night."
