Tom Griffin (London, OK): As Gerry Hassan noted in his OK essay yesterday, the Scottish Labour leadership has been called 'the worst job in the world.' Today's events certainly haven't made it a more appealing prospect for Iain Gray:
Confirmation that Cairns had stood down as the Scotland Office minister of state came only 15 minutes before Gray unveiled his new frontbench team at Holyrood, to the glee of SNP MSPs and other opposition parties.
David Cairns played a key role in Labour's Glasgow East campaign, and his resignation only adds to Labour's woes as it faces into another by-election in Glenrothes.
It will be interesting to see whether Cairns is replaced in his Scotland Office job. It is widely expected that the territorial departments will be abolished when policing and justice are devolved to Northern Ireland, something Gordon Brown called for during his visit to Belfast today. Cairns won't now figure in the resulting reshuffle. That may be the only respect in which his departure makes Brown's life easier.
