The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, London

Prime Minister Gordon Brown faces another potentially embarrassing by-election in his own back yard following the death Wednesday of a Scottish lawmaker from his ruling Labour Party.

John MacDougall-who represented Glenrothes, just north of Edinburgh, in the House of Commons-died aged 60 of cancer, the Labour Party said.

At the last general election in 2005, MacDougall had a majority of over 10,000 but if a recent run of by-election losses are anything to go by, Brown's Labour Party will struggle to defend the seat in the by-election.

The resurgent Scottish National Party (SNP), which wants full independence for Scotland from London and leads the devolved government north of the border, is likely to pose the strongest threat after coming second in the constituency in 2005. The Glenrothes constituency is next door to Brown's own, Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, where the prime minister has a majority of over 18,000.