Scottish Labour's leadership contest turned into a coronation yesterday as an unopposed Mr Jack McConnell awaited formal confirmation in parliament of his nomination as First Minister.
The way was cleared for Mr McConnell after the deputy health minister, Mr Malcolm Chisholm, withdrew from the contest when it became clear he did not have enough support and the left-winger Mr John McAllion failed to secure sufficient nominations.
With 33 nominations, the Education Minister's name will now go forward to an "affirmative ballot" of the Scottish Labour Executive and Labour MSPs later this week when he will be named party leader. It is expected that he will be confirmed as First Minister during a parliamentary sitting next week.
In the aftermath of Mr Henry McLeish's resignation as First Minister last week after he failed to declare additional income from his constituency office, Mr McConnell knew his personal and public life would be under intense scrutiny as soon as he sought nomination. So, in a contrite, clear-the-air press conference in Edinburgh earlier, Mr McConnell admitted making "mistakes" in his private life.
It had been "an open secret" in Scotland, he said, that he had had an affair seven years ago and he now wanted to draw a line under the past. Assured of the backing of a majority of Labour MSPs, Mr McConnell said there must be "no distractions" in the posts of First Minister. "If I become First Minister it would be very wrong for my family or anybody else to suffer because my behaviour then is still a secret today," he said. "At the time I made mistakes, including denying the facts publicly and privately. I let everybody down. It caused significant hurt to a number of people and I regret that very much to this day."
Pressed by reporters, Mr McConnell insisted there had been only one extra-marital affair. Sitting alongside him was his wife, Bridget, who said her husband had "betrayed my trust" but the couple had worked hard to rebuild their marriage and family.