McConnell dismisses Malawi post ‘hype’

Former First Minister Jack McConnell yesterday dismissed a row over the timing of his departure to Malawi as "hype".

A committee of MPs said it would be "unsatisfactory" for Mr McConnell to stay on much longer as an MSP while preparing to become British High Commissioner in the African country, but Mr McConnell today told STV's Scotland Today: "I think there's a need to be realistic about this and not get too caught up in all the hype.

"There's a practical job to be done and I'm looking forward to doing it."
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Mr McConnell said he had no doubt that the Foreign Office will choose "the right time" for him to get started and confirmed there would be a by-election in his Motherwell and Wishaw constituency when he moves on.

But Mr McConnell added: "There will be absolutely no time when I'm still a member of the Scottish Parliament and High Commissioner in Malawi.

"There will also be no time, I'm sure, when Malawi's without a High Commissioner."

The Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said in a report that Mr McConnell and the Foreign Office should publicly announce a starting date for taking up the post within the first half of next year.

SNP back-bench MSP John Wilson claimed today that if Prime Minister Gordon Brown had held an election last October Mr McConnell "may have been long gone".