Henry McLeish, Scotland’s First Minister, will face a vote of no confidence in the Scottish Parliament tomorrow.
It is unlikely that McLeish will lose his position, as he has already secured the backing of the parliament’s Liberal Democrat and Labour MSPs, but the scandal, known as ‘Officegate’, has had a damaging impact on his credibility.
The scandal focuses on McLeish’s former constituency office in Glenrothes, Fife, when he was a Labour MP at Westminster. He is alleged to have sublet his office five times between 1987 and 2001 for a total of £36,000.
McLeish initially said the sum was under £9,000, which he has since paid back to the Westminster Parliament’s Fees Office
Organisations and companies which took subleases on the office include Fife council (which McLeish used to lead), industrial compensation specialists Thompsons and legal firm Digby Brown – both of which have strong links to the Labour Party.
McLeish did not breach any rules of conduct in subletting his office, but he is guilty of breaching parliamentary rules for failing to declare the rent as an interest.
However, it is the way the First Minister has handled the affair that has attracted severe criticism.
David McLetchie, a Conservative MSP, said: “It is his blackest hour and, from the way he has conducted himself, everyone in the country knows that. I shall outline the Henry McLeish defensive strategy. First, there was denial-nothing had happened at all. That was six months ago. Then we received an apology, but no explanation. Then, in relation to the use of the constituency office, we had the defence of ignorance- ‘I didnae ken; it wisnae me; a big boy did it and ran away’.
“Can the First Minister look the people of Scotland in the eye and claim that his conduct throughout the whole tawdry affair has lived up to those ideals and is actually worthy of a First Minister of Scotland?”
EGi News 07/11/01
