`Lazy' Graham refuses to resign as MP

TOMMY GRAHAM, the troubled Scottish Labour MP, yesterday brushed off calls for his resignation made by a senior constituency party official.

The West Renfrewshire MP rejected accusations that he was "lazy" and had become a "joke". Mr Graham believes it is no coincidence that the claims have been made a week before he is due to appear before the party's National Constitutional Committee to answer disciplinary charges.

"They have continued to try and destabilise myself and put these rumours about and it is completely untrue. I work hard for my constituency and I'm sure that at the end of the day I will acquit myself well at the hearing."

Mr Graham was responding to accusations by Dan Sharpe, West Renfrewshire constituency chairman, who defied a Labour ban on speaking to the media about the Graham affair to call for him to stand down.

"He's of poor quality. He hasn't attended Parliament regularly and he has never influenced legislation," he said. "Tommy is a joke with the ordinary people in Port Glasgow. The bond of trust between Tommy and the constituency has been broken and is irreparable. Tommy should declare that he will no longer be standing for Parliament in this constituency."

Mr Graham faces allegations that he plotted against fellow Labour MPs. He was also accused of spreading false rumours about the ex-Paisley South MP Gordon McMaster, who committed suicide.

He was suspended in August last year and is alleged to have broken a party rule stating that no Labour member shall "engage in a sustained course of conduct prejudicial to the party".

Mr Graham said he had organised 52 surgeries since the general election, 45 of which he had attended himself with the remainder being conducted by his staff.

"As far as Parliament goes it is only since my suspension that I have not been a regular speaker."