Gordon Brown is facing another crucial by-election in his Scottish political backyard following the death of John MacDougall, the Labour MP for Glenrothes.

Mr MacDougall, an MP since 2001, died last night after a long battle against mesothelioma, an incurable cancer of the lungs, aged 60. He held a majority over the SNP at the last election of 11,000.

That would be enough for Labour to hold the seat in normal circumstances. However, following the Glasgow East by-election last month, when a swing of 22 per cent brought the SNP the seat, Glenrothes is vulnerable as the Nationalists need only a swing of 17 per cent this time.

What gives the prospect of a by-election in the seat extra piquancy is that it is close to Gordon Brown's own seat of Kirkcaldy and also close to where he has his constituency home.

Expert View

The Scottish Nationalists will expect to take Glenrothes from Labour, even though they need a 17 per cent swing

Angus Macleod, Scottish Political Editor

• More

• Post a comment

Related Links

• Analysis: SNP hot favourites to win Glenrothes

• Cameron advised to abandon poor cities

• Labour loses by-election in blow for Brown

The buoyant SNP won the seat at last year's Scottish Parliament elections and will expect to add to their Glasgow East triumph by adding another seat at Westminster.

Losing to the Nationalists for the second time in months would serve to undermine the Prime Minister's expected political fightback in the autumn and raise more questions about his own political future.

Labour will be desperate to hold on for another reason. The party elects its new Scottish leader on September 13 and will not want another by-election loss in Scotland to immediately undermine whichever candidate takes over.

Mr Brown was among the first to pay tribute to Mr MacDougall. In a statement, he said: "John MacDougall gave more than thirty years of distinguished public service to Fife as a councillor, leader of the Fife council, convenor of Fife council and then Member of Parliament for Central Fife and he will be remembered as a true servant of the people.

"Over three decades he has been a good personal friend of mine and I visited him on Monday.

"Our heartfelt condolences go to his widow, Cathy, to his son and daughter, Scott and Julie and to his mother and sister."

Mr MacDougall, a married father-of-two, was a patient at the Victoria Hospital, in Kirkcaldy, where he was visited by Mr Brown on Monday.

He started work at the RGC oil rig construction yard at Methil, before union activism led him into politics. The former boilermaker led Fife Council for nine years before taking over the then Central Fife Westminster seat, held by Henry McLeish, who became Scottish First Minister.

Times Recommends

• Oh no, Mr Darling: you have failed
• BBC survives dogfight over Kennel Club expose
• Where the Rosetta belongs can’t be set in stone