Labour’s campaign in the crucial Glasgow East by election got off to a shambolic start last night after the party failed to select a candidate to fight the seat.

Party members were widely expected to back Glasgow city councillor George Ryan to contest the seat in the July 24th by election.

However, Mr Ryan failed to show up at the crucial meeting last night and it’s understood he is having second thoughts about standing for Westminster.

The SNP last night claimed Labour’s campaign was in disarray. A Spokesman said: “The wheels have come off Labour’s campaign, they don’t have a leader and now they don’t have a candidate.”

Last nights events meant that the party was forced to postpone its selection meeting until Monday.

The party issued a statement which said "the meeting to choose a candidate to fight the Glasgow East by-election later this month had been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances.”

Mr Ryan was seen as Labour’s best chance of holding onto the seat following the resignation of the sitting MP David Marshall on health grounds.

Cllr Ryan was born and brought up in the area and he has responsibility for regeneration on the council. The east end is the main benefactor of his efforts to ensure that the city will see a lasting legacy from the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

However, Cllr Ryan was set to be quizzed about remarks he made to a Cabinet minister five years ago about the Union Flag and the national anthem. Cllr Ryan told David Blunkett they were not “universally welcomed” symbols in the West of Scotland.

Cllr Ryan told David Blunkett in 2003 that because the flag and anthem had sectarian and offensive overtures for some Scots, the council would exclude them from a pilot scheme for citizenship ceremonies in the city.

“Unfortunately there is a by-product in the West of Scotland that to some people the Union Flag is not the most universally welcomed symbol,” he told the then Home Secretary. “In some parts of this city and in Central Scotland, it is not perceived as the most inclusive symbol of culture.”

He also said that God Save the Queen had a “less than inclusive verse”, which although rarely sung, referred to “crushing rebellious Scots”.

The comments made while Cllr Ryan was convener of the council's personnel and administration committee, would have been seized upon by opponents, ensuring an ugly start to what is likely to be one of the most hard-fought by elections in recent years.

Yesterday, the Scottish Conservative Party began its fight for the seat claiming that Labour voters were switching to the Tories.

Despite suffering several racist taunts on her walkabout of the area, Davena Rankin, the first candidate to start campaigning, said that the response she had from voters was positive. “I am delighted with the response I've had so far,” she said.

“Today we met non-voters and lifelong labour voters who have pledged to vote Conservative. No one will deny that it is a mountain to climb but I am offering every voter a clear choice; continuing with the failure of Labour, risking everything with the Nationalists or change with the Conservatives,” she said.

At one point the Tory entourage was even cheered, as it made its way down Tollcross Road in the heart of one of the most deprived constituencies in the country, but the chants of “Rangers” made it clear the support was for the colour of the balloons, not the party.

David Cameron, the Tories' UK leader, is expected to visit the constituency next week in an attempt to boost his party's chances on July 24. At the last general election, it polled just under 7 per cent of the vote, while David Marshall, the Labour MP whose resignation last week triggered the poll, took 60 per of the vote.

Speaking at the start of the party's campaign yesterday, Annabel Goldie, the Scottish Tory leader, claimed that the party's drug strategy and stance on law and order was winning voters “Scottish politics is now a three-horse race and whilst we are still currently the third horse, I sense a change in direction and a shift of power. You only have to see how frightened Labour are of losing one of their safest seats to smell that fear,” she said.

Despite the Tories' upbeat campaign message, the main fight in Glasgow East will between Labour and the SNP.

The SNP is fielding councillor, John Mason, the SNP group leader on the city council. Alex Salmond, the First Minister, will visit the constituency today with his candidate, before the party's campaign officially begins on Monday.

Blows traded by the two parties over the future of concessionary bus fares indicates that no punches will be pulled in the campaign.

Labour claimed that the Scottish government's promise to extend the concessionary fares scheme to injured veterans and make no changes to the eligibility, times or routes available to older and disabled people was the result of Labour pressure.

Calling the SNP announcement a U-turn, Des McNulty, the Scottish Labour's transport spokesman, said: “Labour put the SNP under weeks of sustained pressure to come clean on their review of concessionary travel. After weeks of dodging the issue the Scottish Government has finally caved in.”

David Cairns, Labour's campaign spokesman, said that voters in Glasgow East were aware of the SNP's broken promises and Labour would drive that message home. “We will hang their record of failure and broken promises round their neck,” Mr Cairns said.

Mr Mason said that Labour was “scaremongering” on the issue of bus fares. “The wheels have come off Labour's campaign bus,” he said.

Speculation that Solidarity would put up Tommy Sheridan was finally quashed yesterday when the party announced it had selected Tricia McLeish to contest the seat.

Mr Sheridan supported the selection, saying: “When I heard there was to be a by-election my first thought was to ask Tricia to accept my nomination. It never crossed my mind to stand.” Ms McLeish said:

“Living in the area and working for the council, I see the results of New Labour's failed agenda first hand. The SNP offer no answers for the people of the east end, just more of the same under a different flag.

The east end will not be saved by shopping centres or by a Donald Trump. We need real jobs and real futures.”

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