Greatrex says allegations have had no effect

May 5 2010 by Douglas Dickie, Rutherglen Reformer

LABOUR’S candidate for Rutherglen and Hamilton West, Tom Greatrex, has said that calls for him to stand down have failed to derail his election campaign.

Mr Greatrex was last week named in a newspaper article concerning a high-level probe into the leaking of information about the Queen’s Balmoral Estate.

The probe by Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O’Donnell followed publication in January of letters between UK Government minister for security and counter-terrorism, David Hanson, and Scottish Government Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham.

In the letters, Ms Cunningham calls for two paths on the Balmoral Estate to be opened to tourists.

The proposal sparked outrage, with security chiefs saying it would put members of the Royal Family at risk.

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop has now told MSPs that an investigation had found the leak was not from a Scottish Government civil servant.

And Whitehall sources say the leak was traced back to the offices of Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy, where Mr Greatrex was working as an aide at the time.

Mr Murphy denied any knowledge of the leak.

The reports prompted SNP candidate, Councillor Graham Horne, to say that Mr Greatrex should quit the election race.

But Mr Greatrex said that although he couldn’t comment on the allegations, he was confident that it had not had an effect on his campaign.

When asked if he was worried, he replied: “The short answer is ‘no’ because no-one I have spoken to on the doorsteps has even mentioned it.”

He added: “It is not appropriate for me to comment on an issue being dealt with by the Cabinet Office.

“As the Edinburgh SNP know full well, civil servants, and former civil servants, can not comment on these matters.”

The SNP has said that Mr Greatrex should either deny the allegations or stand down. Candidate, Graeme Horne, said: “The bottom line is, if he is responsible he should not take any part in the election, there is no issue about that.

“Something like this is just tarnishing politics.”

SNP Election campaign coordinator Stewart Hosie said: “This is an extremely serious issue.”

A spokesman for the Labour Party said it was a matter for the Cabinet Office.

A spokesperson for the Cabinet Office said: “We do not comment on leak investigations.”