 George Foulkes is a former minister |
Labour has chosen the former Scotland Office minister, Lord Foulkes, as one of its top candidates for next year's Holyrood elections. He finished first in the party's rankings for the regional list in Edinburgh and the Lothians.
Elsewhere, Education Minister Peter Peacock retains the top spot in the Highlands and Islands.
Former MSP Rhoda Grant and ex-MP David Stewart are also well placed to win seats in Holyrood.
In Glasgow, the Labour MP Mohammed Sarwar's son Anas would be the first elected on the list.
Election campaign
BBC Scotland political correspondent Glenn Campbell said that Lord Foulkes may be Labour's first choice candidate in Edinburgh and the Lothians, but that does not mean the party wants him elected.
This is because Labour will only qualify for a regional MSP in Edinburgh and the Lothians if it does really badly in the constituencies and lose seats. The role of Lord Foulkes is to boost Labour's election campaign and take the fight to rival parties, Glenn Campbell said.
George Foulkes, 64, a member of parliament for 26 years, was MP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley when he retired from Westminster last year.
After the 1997 election, he served as deputy to Clare Short in the Department for International Development for four years.
He was made Minster of State for Scotland in 2001, before being axed in a cabinet reshuffle in May 2002.
One-Minute World News 
News services
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
