Falkirk councillor who spoke out on 'vote-rigging' row loses selection process The Falkirk seat is held by the disgraced independent MP Eric Joyce, who resigned from the Labour Party after being convicted of assault. The UK party launched an investigation into claims that the Unite union signed up new members without their knowledge in a bid to help its favoured candidate, Karie Murphy, who works for Tom Watson, the former deputy party chairman. However, it cleared Ms Murphy, and Stevie Deans, the local Unite official, after key witnesses were said to have withdrawn their allegations. The Labour leadership has repeatedly insisted its report will not be published because those who contributed to it did so on the condition of confidentiality. The party said in a statement that all those who applied to be the general election candidate "went through a fair and thorough process and three high-quality candidates were selected unanimously." The Falkirk Labour Party was put into what the national party called "special measures" after the row which meant the task of drawing up a shortlist was removed from it. The interviews are thought to have been conducted by two members of the party's National Executive Committee, two members of its Scottish Executive Committee and one local party official conducted the interviews. The former MSP Karen Whitfield, Pam Duncan, an equality campaigner and Monica Lennon, a councillor in Lanarkshire, made the shortlist. Murdo Fraser, for the Scottish Conservatives, said the mess created by Labour and Unite in Falkirk was getting worse by the week, adding: "Just when you think a line has been drawn under it, another embarrassing example of petty squabbling rears its head." A spokesman for the SNP said Johann Lamont, the Scottish Labour leader, had "stood by and watcher her party implode in Falkirk without doing anything." The winning candidate will be selected by local party members on December 8.