LABOUR's UK general secretary will address the local party in Falkirk tomorrow over vote-fixing allegations that dogged the constituency for nearly a year.

Iain McNicol will discuss a secret report on claims that members were signed up improperly in the area in a bid to influence a selection contest.

The saga began when Falkirk MP Eric Joyce created a selection vacancy in 2012 after pleading guilty to assault.

As revealed by the Sunday Herald, individuals linked to the Unite union recruited over 100 members to the Falkirk West Labour Party in a bid to secure the candidacy of favoured candidate Karie Murphy. However, Labour investigated the surge in recruitment after allegations were made that some of the new members were signed up without their consent.

The local party was put into "special measures", Murphy and local Unite activist Stevie Deans were suspended, and party leader Ed Miliband used the row to insist on wide-ranging reform of Labour's historic link with unions.

Deans and Murphy were reinstated after some of the original evidence was withdrawn by witnesses and the investigation ceased.

Labour's original report was never published, though it was subsequently leaked.

The row spiralled into a major industrial dispute when Ineos, a significant local employer at Grangemouth refinery, investigated whether Deans had used his work computer for activities relating to the Labour selection.

In the end, a row over a local Labour selection nearly led to the closure of the Ineos refinery plant and the loss of hundreds of jobs.

McNicol, who was a key player in the fiasco, will address an all-member's meeting of the Falkirk West party tomorrow evening at the town's Trinity Church.

According to an email by the local branch secretary, the only item will be "the discussion with Iain McNicol".

Local members have long called for the Labour leadership to answers question about a controversy that has left a stain on the party.

Falkirk West's Nationalist MSP, Michael Matheson, said: "Johann Lamont is supposed to be the leader of the whole Labour Party in Scotland - she should take responsibility for the party's fiasco in Falkirk instead of waiting for London to act. The people of Falkirk deserve better than this."