LABOUR finally unveiled its candidate for the Glasgow East by-election yesterday but the party’s shambolic campaign was further undermined by the disclosure that Margaret Curran will work only part-time as an MP if elected.

Curran, who is the MSP for the area, was drafted in after former nominee George Ryan, a Glasgow councillor, withdrew at the last minute, blaming family pressures.

She was the party’s third choice of candidate after allies of Gordon Brown failed to persuade Steven Purcell, the leader of Glasgow council, to stand.

Labour aides revealed that Curran plans to hold on to her existing Holyrood seat for up to two more years, rather than devote her time to Westminster. She intends to draw only one salary and to operate from one office for the time she works as both an MSP and MP, if she wins.

“Margaret would resign in the fullness of time from the Scottish parliament. She could stay on until the next general election,” said a senior party source.

“There’s no reason why she couldn’t do both jobs for a limited time because she would be dealing with a lot of the same constituents.”

The arrangement was agreed to avoid sparking a by-election for the Scottish parliament seat which Labour could lose, boosting the SNP’s position at Holyrood.

Ryan announced yesterday that he was quitting because of the pressure it would put on his family life. He was facing increasing media interest in his past, including council and police investigations into an alleged housing benefit fraud in 1999 over which he was cleared of wrongdoing.

The shambolic start to the campaign has left experienced Labour figures in despair. “This has been a f*****g disaster from start to finish,” said one. “We had the power to decide when to hold this by-election. We should have been better prepared than anyone with a squeaky clean candidate that we could count on. Now we’ve got less than three weeks to go and no candidate.”

Curran is expected to be selected tomorrow night.

“It speaks volumes for the Scottish Labour party that it is preparing to put to the voters a candidate who wants to work on a part-time basis,” said Annabel Goldie, leader of the Scottish Conservatives.

“Glasgow has enormous problems that require someone dedicated to sorting them out full-time. Labour is rudderless at Westminster, leaderless at Holyrood and treating the people of Glasgow with contempt.”

Labour strategists have been alarmed by an analysis of how the electorate in Glasgow East cast their votes at last year’s Holyrood election. A similar swing in this poll would see Labour’s 13,500-strong majority fall to 5,000.

SNP first minister Alex Salmond was among others campaigning in Glasgow East who said the delay in selecting a Labour candidate showed the party was in “meltdown”.

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