 | 'Governments don't lose by-elections in safe seats when they're on the way up. They lose them on the down-swing. For all his qualities, even Gordon Brown can't stop the political pendulum. The real lesson from Dunfermline is this: ever so slowly, Labour's moment is ending.' James Kirkup in the Scotsman, 11 th February 2006. |  |
LABOUR was embroiled last night in its most divisive bout of in-fighting for years, as the Westminster party tried to pin the Dunfermline by-election defeat on Jack McConnell.
While the Scottish Secretary, Alistair Darling, took public responsibility for the failed campaign, behind the scenes Labour MPs launched stinging attacks on the First Minister, saying his "pathetic" interference had crippled the party's chances and allowed the Liberal Democrats to record a stunning victory.
"What the hell did Jack think he was doing?" demanded one MP, who pointed at Mr McConnell's failure to take an early decision on the Forth Road Bridge tolls despite determined attempts by Gordon Brown to "bounce" him into it.
Other divisions soon emerged: Blairites questioned Gordon Brown's fitness to lead the party when he could not deliver a victory in his own backyard, while Brownites attacked the Defence Secretary, John Reid, for his apparent failure to turn up to a campaign engagement at Rosyth dockyard last week.
The backbiting started soon after the result. The Liberal Democrats had overturned an 11,500 Labour majority and won by 1,800 votes - their first Scottish by-election triumph over Labour for nearly a century.
As the Lib Dems cheered, Catherine Stihler, the Labour candidate, fled the count in shock, shielded by Labour minders.
By yesterday morning, she had regained something of her composure and appeared in public with Mr Darling to try to explain what had gone wrong.
Mr Brown was in Moscow with leading finance ministers.
Mr Darling's approach was to admit total responsibility and to concede that Labour should have retained the seat. But he made it clear the blame game had started when he made several attacks on Mr McConnell over Forth Road Bridge tolls and the prospect of a new bridge. "This issue was not sorted. It should have been sorted," he said.
Other Labour MPs were more direct. "The bridge was a disaster for us, and that's down to Jack - his responses were all wrong," said one.
Another Labour source in London said: "What the hell did Jack think he was doing even suggesting that there was any doubt about what Gordon had announced [on tolls]? This was a by-election, and that means the priority is to win. But Jack was just being precious about who got to announce things. It was pathetic, and it hurt us."
Another MP said: "The fact that despite our best efforts to get it across what we stood for, the Scottish Executive still would not make a decision; did not help our candidate."
A source close to Mr McConnell said the First Minister did not want to get into a spat with other Labour politicians. But he directed a sharp enough barb in Mr Darling's direction.
"Alistair has made it clear he was running the campaign and he takes the responsibility. It is good for Alistair to be clear about that," the source said.
And one ally of the Prime Minister asked of Mr Brown: "Why should Tony be in a hurry to make way for a man who can't deliver a seat in his own town?"
In turn, a Brown supporter turned on Mr Reid - a Scottish MP who could fight him for the leadership. He had been due to visit Rosyth two days before polling day, but pulled out.
That move "has caused a lot of anger", said the source.
Labour's opponents were delighted by the turmoil.
Willie Rennie, the new MP for Dunfermline and West Fife, was joined by both Sir Menzies Campbell and Simon Hughes on the streets of the town yesterday, as both leadership candidates seized the chance to be pictured with their new winner. The party's other leadership candidate, Chris Huhne, was understood to have tried to get to Scotland in time for the photocalls, but did not make it in time.
Mr Rennie said the result showed the Lib Dems could challenge Labour anywhere in Scotland. "People are fed up with Labour," he said. "They've taken our country for granted for too long - there is too much spin, not enough delivery."
Alex Salmond, the SNP leader, said his party's third place represented a good result, as they had improved their share of the vote from the general election.
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