Labour candidate announcement delay

9:36am Saturday 5th July 2008

Some candidates are getting started on the campaign trail in their bid to win the Glasgow East by-election.

The July 24 by-election was triggered by long-serving Labour MP David Marshall's resignation on health grounds.

The vote, which is crucial for the Labour Party, comes in the wake of bruising by-election defeats at both Crewe and Henley.

Labour was expected to announce its candidate on Friday night but a meeting was postponed due to "unforeseen circumstances" and will now be held on Monday.

Several candidates will be campaigning in the constituency today in a bid to win local support.

On Friday, Solidarity announced that firebrand politician Tommy Sheridan would not be standing.

There was speculation that the former MSP would be selected to fight the Westminster seat for the left-wing party which he founded.

But the party announced local woman Tricia McLeish had been selected unopposed.

It was Mr Sheridan who nominated her to be Solidarity's candidate for Glasgow East.

To win the seat the SNP would need a 21.9% swing from Labour, which had a majority of 13,507 in the constituency at the 2005 General Election.

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