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Stephen Deans to step down as Falkirk Labour Party chair Stephen Deans to step down as Falkirk Labour Party chair
(about 3 hours later)
Stephen Deans, the chair of Falkirk Labour Party, intends to stand down from his post, the BBC has learned.Stephen Deans, the chair of Falkirk Labour Party, intends to stand down from his post, the BBC has learned.
It is believed he will not stand for re-election when the post is contested at a party AGM on 24 November.It is believed he will not stand for re-election when the post is contested at a party AGM on 24 November.
Meanwhile, his Labour Party colleagues claimed they were being ignored by those at the centre of the party. Mr Deans was accused of being involved in vote-rigging in Falkirk, but was later cleared by an investigation.
Local member Gray Allan called on the Labour Party to make public its investigation into alleged vote rigging in Falkirk. However, David Cameron blamed him for the Grangemouth row which almost led to the closure of that refinery plant and the loss of 800 jobs.
The Falkirk constituency party issued a statement after its first meeting since its chair, Mr Deans, resigned from the Grangemouth refinery.
His employer, Ineos, had been looking into whether he had carried out union activities during work time.
The meeting came amid fresh claims that the Unite union tried to thwart a Labour investigation into the alleged vote rigging.
Emails suggesting Unite engaged in forgery and coercion were leaked to the Sunday Times.
The newspaper said the emails included details of an internal Labour report into the Falkirk debacle.
'Tory plot'
Speaking after the Falkirk Constituency labour Party Meeting (CLP), Mr Allan called on the party to make the report public.
He said: "Of all the parties that have been involved in this matter since the beginning, the one voice that has not been heard is the voice of the rank and file Labour party members in this constituency.
"We've heard umpteen reports, allegations and suppositions as to what happened or did not happen."
He said members were disappointed that no one from the National Executive Council of the Scottish Labour Party had attended their meeting.
He added: "We need matters to be addressed here in front of our members by someone from the centre.
"We need to put these matters to rest and we need to rebuild what is a damaged organisation".
Earlier, Unite general secretary Len McCluskey denied the claims of union interference into a Labour investigation.
He also claimed emails were leaked to the Sunday Times as part of a Tory plot to discredit Ed Miliband.
Mr McCluskey told the BBC's Sunday Politics the paper had "nothing new".
"We didn't thwart anything. The Labour Party report was deeply flawed," he told presenter Andrew Neil.
'Frustrate'
Unite was accused of coercing its members to join the Falkirk Labour Party or signing them up without their knowledge, to ensure the union's favoured candidate, Karie Murphy, was selected as a general election candidate.Unite was accused of coercing its members to join the Falkirk Labour Party or signing them up without their knowledge, to ensure the union's favoured candidate, Karie Murphy, was selected as a general election candidate.
An internal Labour Party investigation cleared Unite and its members of any wrongdoing after key witnesses withdrew their allegations. An internal Labour Party investigation cleared Unite and its members of any wrongdoing after key witnesses withdrew their allegations - Mr Deans, who had been suspended by Labour, was reinstated.
The Sunday Times said last week it had seen a cache of emails raising questions about whether Unite influenced the outcome of the inquiry. But the Sunday Times now says it has seen 1,000 emails to and from Mr Deans, which it says reveal the full extent of the plot to influence the selection process.
In fresh revelations published on Sunday, the newspaper said it has seen 1,000 emails to and from Stephen Deans, chairman of the Falkirk Labour Party, which it said revealed the full extent of the plot to influence the selection process. Its story also included extracts of the internal Labour report - which has never been published by the party - in which Labour officials said there were "deliberate attempts to frustrate" interviews with some of the key witnesses.
It also included extracts of the internal Labour report - which has never been published by the party - in which Labour officials said there were "deliberate attempts to frustrate" interviews with some of the key witnesses.
The emails suggested that a letter retracting key evidence in the Labour investigation was not written by the witnesses but by union officials and approved by Mr Deans, according to the Sunday Times.The emails suggested that a letter retracting key evidence in the Labour investigation was not written by the witnesses but by union officials and approved by Mr Deans, according to the Sunday Times.
'Trap' 'Damaged organisation'
In an interview with The Sunday Politics show, Mr McCluskey conceded that Mr Deans had seen some of the retractions before they were made public, but said this was understandable as they had been written by members of Mr Deans' family. Following news of Mr Deans' decision to step down, the Falkirk Constituency Labour Party held a meeting after which local member Gray Allan called on the party to make its report public.
He said: "Of all the parties that have been involved in this matter since the beginning, the one voice that has not been heard is the voice of the rank and file Labour party members in this constituency."
He said members were disappointed that no-one from the national executive council of the Scottish Labour Party had attended their meeting, adding: "We need matters to be addressed here in front of our members by someone from the centre.
"We need to put these matters to rest and we need to rebuild what is a damaged organisation."
Earlier, Unite general secretary Len McCluskey denied the claims of union interference into the Labour investigation and claimed emails were leaked to the Sunday Times as part of a Tory plot to discredit Ed Miliband.
"We didn't thwart anything. The Labour Party report was deeply flawed," he told the BBC's Sunday Politics.
Mr McCluskey conceded that Mr Deans had seen some of the retractions before they were made public, but said this was understandable as they had been written by members of Mr Deans' family.
"This is an ordinary decent family, who were suddenly faced with the full weight of the establishment - the police, a forensic solicitor. Of course they spoke to Stevie Deans.""This is an ordinary decent family, who were suddenly faced with the full weight of the establishment - the police, a forensic solicitor. Of course they spoke to Stevie Deans."
But he claimed the leaks to the Sunday Times were part of a wider plot to undermine Ed Miliband. 'Acted swiftly'
"This is a trap being set by Tory Central Office," he told presenter Andrew Neil. The prime minister called Mr Deans "a rogue trade unionist" following his involvement in the Grangemouth dispute.
"And Ed Miliband should not fall into those traps." He was suspended by the site's owner Ineos over claims he used company time for political campaigning work, but his treatment prompted Unite to vote for strike action, including a ban on overtime, which led to a shutdown of the plant.
Asked if he denied that Unite officials had been involved in getting key witness evidence retracted from the inquiry, Mr McCluskey said: "I deny it completely." After the row between the union and Ineos escalated, the company threatened to close the plant completely after Unite refused to accept a survival plan which included a pay freeze and pension changes.
Ineos subsequently changed its mind following significant concessions from Unite.
Commenting on the latest allegations, a Labour Party spokesman said: "We've acted swiftly and thoroughly to uphold the integrity of the Labour Party throughout this matter and will continue to do so."Commenting on the latest allegations, a Labour Party spokesman said: "We've acted swiftly and thoroughly to uphold the integrity of the Labour Party throughout this matter and will continue to do so."
Police in Scotland, who earlier this year dropped an investigation into the Falkirk allegations, are studying the leaked emails.Police in Scotland, who earlier this year dropped an investigation into the Falkirk allegations, are studying the leaked emails.