Blair orders inquiry over McMaster's suicide note

'At the moment there's not much other than a number of MPs and people in Renfrewshire Labour politics - it's well known that they hate each other - having a public ding dong.' A Labour source, in the Scotsman, 3 rd August 1997.

Politicians named in letter deny whispering campaign

By Andrew Parker and Jason Allardyce in the Scotsman 4 th August 1997

Nick Brown, the Labour chief whip, has been asked to begin the inquiry and produce a report as quickly as possible.

Mr Brown is understood to have a copy of the suicide note left by Mr McMaster, Labour MP for Paisley South. As well as Mr Brown, the note was addressed to the Prime Minister and Donald Dewar, the Scottish Secretary. Mr McMaster is thought to have asked for the note to be published in full.

Scotland on Sunday, sister newspaper of The Scotsman, claimed yesterday that the note condemned Tommy Graham, Labour MP for Renfrewshire West, and Lord Dixon, Labour's deputy chief whip in the Commons until last year.

The newspaper also said the note alluded to a whispering campaign which friends of Mr McMaster claim may have driven him to suicide. Prior to his death false rumours had been circulating at Westminster, suggesting that Mr McMaster, 37 and single, was homosexual and had AIDS.

Mr Graham last week strongly denied he was responsible for the whispering campaign. He was quoted as saying: "There is no way I've done anything to be ashamed of. I never said he was gay or had HIV. Nobody in the world can have evidence that I've done anything."

Lord Dixon also denied any involvement. He told Scotland on Sunday: "There was no animosity between us at all. I had a great deal of respect for him and, I thought, a genuine friendship.

Mr McMaster worked as Lord Dixon's assistant in the whips office during 1995.

Neither Mr Graham or Lord Dixon could be contacted for further comment last night.

Mr Brown's investigation falls short of a full blown inquiry by Labour's national executive committee. He is thought to have asked for all the relevant newspaper stories about Mr McMaster.

Referring to the suicide note, Mr Brown said: "I do have a copy of the letter. The Prime Minister has asked me to investigate."

A Labour source said: "At the moment there's not much other than a number of MPs and people in Renfrewshire Labour politics - it's well known that they hate each other - having a public ding dong.

"If there is something more substantial, we will look at it."

Mr McMaster was found slumped inside his car at his home at Johnstone last Monday. The suicide note was discovered shortly afterwards.

The Scotsman revealed last week that relatives of Mr McMaster had acted quickly and privately to deal with people they believed were involved in the whispering campaign.

Irene Adams, the Labour MP who represents the neighbouring Paisley North constituency, said last week she believed the source of the rumours was a Labour party member. Mrs Adams said Mr McMaster would always reply that the claims had no foundation.

The 18-stone MP, who was an eminent horticulturist, had a chronic fatigue syndrome which he believed was linked to exposure to organophosphates. The debilitating illness caused him to suffer severe depression and his spirits were further dampened when he was mugged at his south London flat three weeks ago.

In addition to the rumours at Westminster, Nancy Allison, provost of Renfrewshire council, has claimed that Mr McMaster was the victim of a poison pen campaign run by a local councillor.

In the suicide note, Mr McMaster is said to ask his family and friends for forgiveness. Scotland on Sunday also claimed that in the note Mr McMaster criticised Paul Mack, a Renfrewshire independent councillor, who was expelled from the Labour Party for falsely claiming to be an official Labour candidate.

The newspaper did not link the councillor, who could not be contacted yesterday, to the poison pen campaign.

A spokesman for Strathclyde police said last night the force had not received any complaint regarding letters received by Mr McMaster.

One political ally of the late MP demanded that the perpetrators of the smear campaign be punished. "This was a young man who two or three people knew was down and they behaved dismally".