 | 'You might well think that. I couldn't possibly comment!' Francis Urquhart in House of Cards by Michael Dobbs. |  |
| 'You might well think that. I couldn't possibly comment!' Francis Urquhart in House of Cards by Michael Dobbs. | |
He told a news conference in his Falkirk West constituency that he believed reconciliation was now "a distinct possibility".
And he said that Labour had "learned a lesson" from its experiences in Falkirk West.
The MP, who held the seat for Labour in 1997 but later broke from the party, said a final decision on his application would be taken by the party's ruling national executive on 28 November.
If it is accepted he will remain as Westminster MP until the next general election, sparing Labour an embarrassing by-election.
However, he also indicated that he would re-assess his position if his application was rejected.
He told the news conference: "You may remember that on the day I was elected to the Scottish Parliament I expressed regret that I was no longer a member of the party in which I was virtually born and bred, and I referred to the hope of reconciliation.
"As a result of the discussions I have had over the past few weeks I am now led to believe that reconciliation is a distinct possibility."
Mr Canavan said his secret talks had involved Chancellor Gordon Brown, Scottish First Minister Henry McLeish and senior Labour party officials.
He also said he believed Westminster had been to blame for his exclusion as a Scottish Parliament candidate.
"I think that was certainly true at the time of the selection of candidates, but I think lessons have been learned," he said.
"I think that the fact that they are even willing to accept my application for membership is a tacit admission that mistakes were made over the selection process."
Mr McLeish welcomed the decision - but warned Mr Canavan about the responsibilities of membership.
Reconcilliation welcomed
He said: "Discussions have been taking place for some time at different levels of the party.
"I welcome the prospect of reconciliation."
However, he stressed that the decision was a matter for the party's national executive.
And he said: "Membership of the Labour Party comes with onerous conditions about behaviour, as well as a commitment to pursue Labour's traditional ideals and aspirations."
Mr Canavan embarrassed the party in the elections to the Scottish Parliament in May last year when he stood as an independent and won by a majority of 12,000 - the largest in the parliament.
However, he was automatically expelled from the Labour Party as a result.
Mr Canavan said last month that he was going to announce his resignation from the Westminster seat at the earliest opportunity.
He admitted on Friday that this had probably sparked Labour's advances aimed at bringing him back to the party.
"Perhaps I have been guilty in some respect of using extravagant language, but I felt very angry at certain things at the time," he said.
It was also an open secret that Mr Canavan and the late Scottish Labour leader Donald Dewar did not see eye to eye.
'Shameful' treatment
However, Mr Canavan said discussions about his possible return to the party had statred before the former first minister's tragic death.
"It would be wrong to personalise things and try and say that things between me and Donald were so difficult that reconcilliation was impossible," he said.
"It would also be wrong to claim that Donald was the principal architect of the circumstances which led to me standing without the support of the Labour party."
However, the Scottish National Party's deputy leader Roseanna Cunningham said: "What this shows is New Labour's desperation to avoid a by-election defeat in Falkirk West, where they faced being humiliated by the SNP.
"It is a fix borne of New Labour panic about losing the by-election to the SNP.".
-Nov 3 rd
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