PRESSURE was last night mounting for Labour’s Gordon Matheson to step down from the leadership job at Glasgow City Council after a growing rebellion against him.
Reports emerged yesterday that almost half the council’s Labour group had signed a letter designed to topple him over the summer months.
Last week he insisted he would remain in the post until February next year when the council’s Labour group hold their annual general meeting.
Last night, his spokesman would not be drawn on whether Matheson would continue as council leader until February as originally planned. Asked if Matheson would stay until then given reports that 20 of the 45 Labour councillors had signed the letter, he replied: “I have nothing to say on that.”
Last week, Matheson’s leadership was questioned at a four-hour long meeting of the council’s Labour members which was described as “stormy”. Days later, a letter was circulated among councillors calling for a emergency general meeting on 10 August to discuss the leadership issue once again.
The letter said: “We the undersigned call, as per Glasgow Labour Group’s standing orders, for a EGM to be held on Monday, 10 August 2015 to consider the future of the Group leader.”
The date is the earliest Labour can meet after it fights the council by-elections on August 6. In theory, two-thirds of Labour councillors would have to sign it to force a meeting, but those who drew up the letter were said to believe that if half do so the pressure to hold an EGM would be irresistible.
There was anger at Matheson’s decision to stand as deputy leader of Scottish Labour – a position which would guarantee him a new career as a Labour MSP as it would automatically put him top of the party’s regional list of candidates – rather than concentrating his political campaigning on the 2017 council elections.
Labour councillors are also said to be annoyed at his apparent failure to respond to the increasing support for the SNP in Glasgow, with the city voting Yes in last year’s independence referendum and returning an all-SNP group of MPs to Westminster at the General Election last month.
Former Glasgow MSP Frank McAveety, who is now a Glasgow Labour councillor, is being tipped as the most likely politician to take over from Matheson.
“It’s not personal, it’s about the future of the party and the city. The majority of the group think it would be better if Gordon’s transition is sooner rather than later so the group is ready for the elections in 2017,” he said.
Matheson, who on Wednesday received a CBE for his services to local government and the community from the Queen, was last night continuing his campaign to become Scottish Labour’s deputy leader.
He took part in a hustings at Inverness last night, and is also due to take part in a hustings tonight in Paisley and ones over the weekend held in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
His spokesman told the National: “Gordon is concentrating on the two things that are important; one his leadership of Glasgow city council and the other is using the opportunity of the recess to stand as deputy leader of the Scottish Labour party.”
Responding to his CBE, Matheson said: “The honour I have received reflects well on the whole of Glasgow and the achievements of the city are there for all to see.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here