MARGARET Curran was last night finally selected as the Labour candidate for the Glasgow East by-election – a race she only entered in an attempt to rescue her beleaguered party.
Ms Curran was the overwhelming choice of the members of the Glasgow East Labour Party who voted for her to become the candidate for the 24 July poll.
Within moments of being selected, Ms Curran challenged the SNP candidate in the contest, John Mas
on, to a live TV debate.
She said: "I am honoured to be selected to fight this seat for Labour.
"My opponent Councillor Mason says he's in politics for one reason only: to break up the United Kingdom. I'm in politics for a fundamentally different reason: to fight poverty and stand up for the people of the East End. That's what I've done all my life, and what I promise to keep on doing.
"Let me be clear: Labour's fightback starts right here, right now. I will fight and fight again for the people of the East End so here, on the steps of the selection meeting, I publicly challenge Councillor Mason to a live television debate – any time, any place."
The former communities minister and MSP for Glasgow Bailieston was on a shortlist with Doug Maughan, an airline pilot and Irene Graham, a former councillor for the Labour candidacy.
She now has to defend the 13,500 majority Labour won at the last election in what is expected to be a fierce battle with the SNP.
Ms Curran will launch Labour's campaign later today.
A spokesman for the Scottish Labour Party said: "Margaret is taking nothing for granted because she respects the people of the East End. If she wins this by-election, she will become the MP for Glasgow East.
"She will continue for a period as the MSP for Glasgow Baillieston, which is entirely contained in Glasgow East. She will draw only one salary and, unlike the First Minister, will operate only one constituency office.
"She will decide when to relinquish her duties as the MSP when she has discussed it with the local party and the wider community."
But Ms Curran was not the party's first choice as its candidate for Glasgow East.
This time last week, she was deliberating with colleagues whether or not she should go for the leadership of the Scottish Labour Party.
Then, last Friday night, Labour's by-election campaign imploded when George Ryan, the likely candidate, failed to turn up at his own selection meeting.
Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, phoned Steven Purcell, the Labour leader of Glasgow Council, four times in an attempt to get him to run for the party in Glasgow East, but he refused.
It was only after two other potential candidates had been approached and refused to stand that the Scottish Labour Party put Ms Curran's name forward. She did not need a lot of arm twisting.
She had decided that her long-term prospects were better served as an MP – particularly as the MP of a safe Glasgow seat – rather than running, and probably failing, in the Scottish Labour leadership. On top of that was the knowledge that her constituency was going to be amalgamated with Glasgow Shettleston before the next Scottish election, leaving one of the two Labour MSPs without a seat.
Her big advantage is that she is already the MSP for Glasgow Baillieston, which covers a substantial chunk of the Glasgow East constituency.
She has stood in this area for the past two Scottish elections and won comfortably on both occasions. She knows the local activists, the area and a large number of the voters.
Ms Curran, 49, a mother of two who cut her teeth in student politics in the 1970s, may not be Labour's first choice, but there is a feeling in the party that she could turn out to be its best choice.
