Row over Ahern's aborted Scottish trip escalates

The row over Mr Bertie Ahern's cancelled visit to Scotland stepped up today as the Labour MP at the centre of the controversy…

The row over Mr Bertie Ahern's cancelled visit to Scotland stepped up today as the Labour MP at the centre of the controversy claimed Dublin leaked damaging information to the press.

Mr Bertie Ahern

Labour MP Mr Frank Roy indicated that the Irish counsel in Edinburgh leaked details of a letter which suggested Northern Ireland Secretary Dr John Reid shared his fears over the Taoiseach's unveiling of a memorial at Carfin, Lanarkshire, scheduled for today.

The ceremony - due to take place shortly after the end of today's Old Firm football match between Glasgow's Celtic and Rangers - was postponed amid fears Mr Ahern's presence could spark sectarian violence.

Mr Roy, quoted in today's Scotland on Sundaynewspaper, accused Mr Dan Mulhall, the Irish counsel in Edinburgh, of leaking the letter.

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He said: "There is only one person with a copy of my letter to the consul. He (Mulhall) is the only person I wrote to. It wasn't me. Who else could have done it?"

However a spokeswoman for Mr Ahern's office denied Mr Mulhall had leaked the letter.

She said: "He did not leak the letter to the media and he would find any such suggestion highly offensive."