STEVEN Purcell, the former leader of Glasgow City Council who quit after admitting to problems with alcohol, has announced he will not be making political comeback for Labour.
Mr Purcell, who led Scotland’s largest local authority between 2005 and 2010, said he had been "flattered" by talk of returning to frontline politics but had opted against the move.
He said: "I have decided that it would not be in my own or my family's interests at this time to endure the stresses and strains of political life."
READ MORE: Steven Purcell: I will decide today on a Labour comeback
There had been speculation in recent months that Mr Purcell, 44, had been planning a return to Glasgow City Chambers over six years after his dramatic fall and admission of problems in his personal life.
He had to inform his party by Wednesday if he wanted a return as a candidate in next year's local elections, telling the Sunday Herald at the weekend: "After a final discussion with my family tomorrow at our normal Sunday get together I will make my final decision either way then."
However, on Monday Mr Purcell announced via his Facebook page that while giving though to returning to electoral politics had been "refreshing" he was no longer putting himself forward.
READ MORE: Steven Purcell: I will decide today on a Labour comeback
He said: "I am grateful to the senior figures in the Labour Party, the party I love, who have been so encouraging and giving of their time recently.
"I will continue to campaign for Labour values and for the return of Frank McAveety's Labour administration in Glasgow. This group are best placed to continue the struggle for social justice in Scotland's biggest and best city."
Mr Purcell resigned after checking in to a rehab clinic in Peebleshire that specialises in treating alcohol and drug addictions. He also quit as a councillor and became a business consultant.
It later emerged that police officers from the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA) had visited him as leader to warn him about a potential blackmail threat.
READ MORE: Steven Purcell: I will decide today on a Labour comeback
As a councillor, Mr Purcell was firmly on the New Labour wing of the party and helped deliver a £220m public-private partnership programme (PPP) to refurbish and rebuild city secondary schools. He was also tipped as a future First Minister.
But on Monday he added: "In a national context, just as I believed Tony Blair was the right leader for Labour in 1994 I passionately believe Jeremy Corbyn is the right leader to rebuild Labour's base before our great party can rebuild a broad coalition for Government."
One SNP source said: "It's probably worth taking Purcell at face value. He and his family probably reckon all the stuff from the past won;t go away so best spare himself and them from it."
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