Crime and fuel top election agenda

8:32pm Tuesday 15th July 2008

Crime and rising fuel bills have dominated the Glasgow East by-election campaign as rival parties stepped up their efforts.

TV cop John Michie, who plays DI Robbie Ross in Taggart, joined Labour's Margaret Curran to highlight crime and anti-social behaviour.

Meanwhile the SNP's John Mason wrote to Chancellor Alistair Darling with an eight-point plan to fight fuel poverty.

The plan includes a mandatory minimum social tariff for all energy firms, better information-swapping between the Department of Work and Pensions and energy firms to help the vulnerable, a limit on pre-payment meter charges, and the creation of a Scottish oil fund.

Labour has seized on comments in a BBC Newsnight Scotland interview in which Mr Mason agreed he took a "hard line" on independence, but said this went hand-in-hand with a desire to help the less well-off.

Asked if he was hard-liner on independence, he replied: "The whole SNP wants independence, there's no question about that - I think we all take a hard line."

Labour minister David Cairns said: "Councillor Mason has finally let the cat out of the bag. He has admitted what we knew all along - he is a hard-line Nationalist who sees his role at Westminster to bring about independence."

In other electioneering activity the Scottish Greens, who are fielding candidate Dr Eileen Duke, launched their Glasgow East campaign, visiting a team who set up two community-owned wind turbines in the area.

Liberal Democrat Tavish Scott is scheduled to take part in campaigning in Glasgow East after launching his party leadership campaign in Inverness.

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith again returned to Easterhouse in aid of the Tory campaign to highlight an alcohol awareness project.