Politics: Rebel Labour MP to stand as independent

LABOUR'S TORMENT on the road to the Scottish Parliament elections continued yesterday with confirmation by the rebel MP Dennis Canavan that he intends to stand as an independent candidate. He will now be automatically expelled from the party he joined in 1965.

Gordon Brown and John Prescott were both in Edinburgh yesterday to attack the Scottish National Party and warn of the dangers of separatism to business and taxpayers. But splits within the Labour Party were making the bigger impression.

Mr Canavan, who failed to get on Labour's approved list of candidates, will fight in his Falkirk West constituency. The MP believes he is the victim a "Stalinist cabal" at Labour headquarters, but according to Donald Dewar, Secretary of State for Scotland, he was "not good enough".

Mr Canavan said: "Three people in the Labour Party headquarters are in effect dictating to over 300 Labour Party members in my constituency and telling them they can't pick me as their candidate."