Selection row Labour MP Anne Moffat vows to fight on

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Selection row MP fights on

A Labour MP caught up in a reselection dispute is fighting claims from local party members she is not up to the job.

Activists are attempting to have Anne Moffat deselected as Labour's candidate in East Lothian, citing major failures in communication with members.

BBC Scotland has seen a submission to Labour's ruling NEC body in which the East Lothian Constituency Labour Party sets out its concerns.

Ms Moffat said she had been subjected to abusive behaviour by local members.

The NEC has the final say on her future, but has allowed a full meeting of the local party in East Lothian to vote on the issue in the coming days.

READ THE DOCUMENTS Anne Moffat's letter to East Lothian Labour Party members [28KB] East Lothian Constituency Labour Party submission to NEC [28KB] Anne Moffat's response to NEC submission [28KB] Most computers will open this document automatically, but you may need Adobe Reader Download the reader here

It is thought likely the ruling body would confirm Ms Moffat's deselection if the local party, which has several hundred members, votes to take that course of action.

In a submission to the NEC, seen by BBC Scotland, the East Lothian Constituency Party raised a series of concerns about Ms Moffat, saying she was not attending important CLP meetings, had kept members out of the loop on constituency matters and was failing to properly campaign for Labour.

The long-running reselection row saw the local constituency party suspended for a period in 2008.

But Ms Moffat, in her submission to the NEC, claimed she had continued to feel "bullied and intimidated" at a CLP meeting she was at, and had attended a further meeting which she described as "very hostile and abusive".

She wrote: "By May 2009, I was experiencing ill health and was on certified sick leave.

"I was given medical advice not to engage in any activity which could cause stress or anxiety. GC (Constituency General Council) meetings fall into that category."

'Solidarity' event

Ms Moffat, who had been in hospital recovering from a brain haemorrhage, told BBC Scotland's Politics Show her recovery had been hampered by the situation.

She said: "So many people have either resigned from positions or even left the Labour party because they're so scunnered at the narrow-mindedness of these small-minded people that they just don't want to be part of meetings like that anymore and, quite frankly, I can't blame them."

Ms Moffat went on: "I've done my job well. I'm proud of the fact that I'm MP for East Lothian, the first woman to ever hold that position.

"I've worked hard at the job, I've got a lot of support out there and I'd be letting them down as well if I was to stand down."

The MP added: "Why should I stand down because a group of bullies are asking me to?"

She also said she had not spoken to Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray - who holds the East Lothian seat in the Scottish Parliament - for "quite some time".

Ms Moffat, who was elected in 2001, would have the right of appeal over a decision to deselect her.

With the election just weeks away, she has also sent a letter to East Lothian members calling for party unity and setting out plans for a "solidarity event".