Former MSP John Swinburne is poised to throw his hat into the ring to succeed Michael Martin, STV news has learned. The Speaker will leave Westminster on June 21.
The 78-year-old Mr Swinburne is best known for founding the Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party and being elected to Holyrood from 2003 and 2007. Now he is poised to run for the ministerial seat vacated by Mr Martin.
Mr Martin made his historic decision to step down as Speaker of the House on Tuesday. Late Wednesday night, a source close to Mr Martin has told STV news that he will quit as an MP on June 21, the same day he steps down from the chair.
Mr Swinburne has vowed to run on a "clean-up politics" campaign. It harkens back to a time in British politics when a high-profile broadcaster, Martin Bell, swept into office in Tatton in 1997 as an independent on a simliar plank.
John Swinburne tells STV news of his desire to run for the Glasgow North East seat at Westminster
Springburn, the Glasgow area that dominates the North East constituency, is more than a decade and hundreds of miles from Cheshire. However the two constituencies are similar in that their voters reflect a mood for change.
Mr Swinburne is a supporter of the clean-up politics organisation the Jury Team, a coalition of independents. He informed STV news he would run for the seat with their backing.
He said: "I would be happy to stand, if it could quickly be organised under the banner of the Jury Team because I abide by their principles."
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His name is recognisable and his politics are well documented. Now there are some who believe Mr Swinburne, an independent in the middle of anti-political mood swing, will be seen as a credible candidate.
The timing of the by-election is still uncertain, but must take place before September 21.
Gerry Leonard, who was Mr Martin's election agent and chairman of the constituency Labour Party, said the party will face a "hard fight" to hold Glasgow North East constituency.
Mr Martin held the seat in 2005 with a 10,000 majority over the SNP, but no other major party contested the Speaker's seat in line with convention. The seat borders the Glasgow East constituency where the Nationalists overturned a 13,500 majority to take the seat from Labour last summer.
