Jack McConnell stays on to avert by-election

JACK McConnell's planned departure from Holyrood has been put on hold by Gordon Brown, ensuring that Labour will avoid a bruising by-election struggle against the SNP.

McConnell will not be sent to Malawi as the UK's High Commissioner until after the next Scottish elections in 2011, and is instead be made a personal envoy to Brown, working in the developing world. McConnell had been due to leave for Malawi next year, which would have triggered a by-election in his Motherwell and Wishaw seat.

But now he will stay in the seat, while taking on the one-day-a-week job for Brown.

The former first minister holds a huge majority, but Labour insiders have warned in recent months that they "do not want to fight a by-election anywhere in Scotland". Last night,

First Minister Alex Salmond described the move as "blatant political manipulation" to avoid a potentially humiliating defeat at the polls.

The SNP has just a one-seat advantage over Labour at Holyrood and an SNP win in McConnell's Motherwell and Wishaw constituency would have increased that to three.

McConnell's new job, confirmed by Brown last night, is as a Special Envoy for Conflict Resolution, working with the United Nations, the African Union and the European Union. He will be asked to put forward proposals on how the global community should seek to step into nations following conflicts in order to start the process of redevelopment. McConnell said last night: "I've been to Rwanda in the past year and I have seen the absolute devastation that genocide and civil war can bring. The world must help countries out of that situation more effectively and Britain can lead the way with concrete proposals."

Asked whether the move was simply a way of delaying his departure for Malawi and thereby preventing a by-election, McConnell said: "This is a serious job. I am very pleased that I have received a lot of representations from many constituents who wanted me to carry on my duties as an MSP. I will now be able to do that."

A Downing Street source said: "He and the Prime Minister have been discussing this for some time and we are confident that he has a real contribution to make."

Labour insiders insisted last night that the fact that the party would not now have to fight a by-election was simply a helpful by-product of the move and not the main reason for the decision. Brown's aides point out that the post will also prepare McConnell for the Malawi job, ensuring he is better equipped to assume his responsibilities.

McConnell was named as the next High Commissioner for Malawi when he quit as Scottish Labour leader last summer. It followed his visit to the country as First Minister when he started a Scottish Government development programme. With the High Commissioner due to retire early next year, it was widely expected that McConnell would have to quit soon. Westminster's Foreign Affairs Committee last year said that the former first minister should quit as an MSP in good time prior to the appointment.

But Salmond last night blasted the development, saying: "Jack McConnell was offered the post in Malawi because of his interest and involvement in the country, not because he was a professional diplomat. But this seems like creating a post simply to avoid a by-election.

"Labour now has a Scottish Secretary without a job but with a campaigning role – and now they have a roving envoy who wants to stay on as an MSP. This is blatant political manipulation in order to avoid defeat in a by-election."

He added: "It is a sign of how out of touch they are that Labour think they can manipulate the process in this way."

McConnell won 48% of the vote in Motherwell and Wishaw last year, compared with the SNP's 24%. But after the Glasgow East by-election defeat, Labour chiefs fear they could face losses almost anywhere in the country.

The SNP is the 4-1 odds on favourite to win the Glenrothes by-election, expected to take place next month, even though Labour had a 10,000 majority there only three years ago.