THE political career of Edinburgh's longest-serving councillor was in tatters last night after he was expelled from the Labour group over the allocation of a council house, writes Annette McCann.

Mr David Brown, who is accused of helping a friend's mother to get a tenancy from the authority, was ousted in a secret ballot.

He was disciplined by having the whip withdrawn indefinitely, which effectively bars him from standing in next year's council elections.

Already suspended from the Labour group and stripped of his official posts, Mr Brown said last night that he would mount a legal challenge.

Emerging from a meeting at Edinburgh's City Chambers, he said that he would take his case to the Court of Session. He has 14 days to appeal to the Scottish Labour Party's national executive committee.

Mr Brown said after the meeting that he had been ''hounded'' out of the party, arguing that he did not feel it necessary to declare an interest in the housing allocation as he did not consider the woman to be his friend.

An investigation was launched after Mr Brown secured a pensioner cottage for Mrs Catherine McVey, mother of a former Lothian regional councillor, Paul Nolan. This allowed Mrs McVey to jump the queue in front of a disabled woman.

There is also an internal council inquiry which could result in Mr Brown being reported to the Secretary of State for Scotland.

Mr Brown has been given until June 25 to submit a written statement in his defence.