Party rebel to stand in Scotland

RENEWED TURMOIL engulfed the Labour Party in Scotland yesterday with the decision by left-wing MP Dennis Canavan to stand against an official candidate in elections to the Scottish Parliament - a move bound to lead to his expulsion.

The high-profile rebellion by Mr Canavan, known as one of "Blair's bastards", will overshadow Tony Blair's campaigning trip to Scotland today.

The Falkirk West MP said that he was the victim of a "Stalinist cabal of control freaks" who had taken over Labour Party headquarters.

His claim will embarrass Mr Blair, who is already under fire in his own party for trying to stop Ken Livingstone from becoming the mayor of London and Rhodri Morgan from becoming Labour's candidate for First Secretary in the new Welsh Assembly.

Mr Blair will use a speech in Glasgow today to warn of Scottish National Party citizenship proposals turning people born outside Scotland into "foreigners" in their own country. But it is Labour that will be portrayed as turning its back on one of its own - Mr Canavan joined the party in 1965.