New leader spends first day in job campaigning
NEWLY-ELECTED Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard spent his first full day in the job campaigning in a council by-election.
Mr Leonard joined Scottish Labour candidate Martin Lennon and local volunteers canvassing voters ahead of the Rutherglen council by-election on Thursday. He was announced as leader of the party on Saturday after defeating rival candidate Anas Sarwar.
Yesterday, Mr Leonard met Scottish Labour parliamentarians including Mr Sarwar and former interim leader Jackie Baillie at a meeting where he set out his vision for the party.
He said: “I am delighted to have been joined by friends from across the Scottish Labour Party, united and campaigning behind Labour’s vision for real change in our society.
“In communities all over Scotland, Labour has a renewed sense of purpose – and now we have begun the campaign to return our party to government.
“And today we will be talking with voters about the things that matter to them – such as soaring rents and low wages but offering solutions rooted in Labour values, like a law to cap the cost of rising rents and promoting a real living wage.” The left winger became the fourth person to hold the post in the last three years after defeating Mr Sarwar.
He replaces former Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale, who stepped down in August.
Ms Dugdale’s decision to take part in I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! was branded “utterly ludicrous” by fellow MSP Neil Findlay. He said: “I think it demeans politics when people get involved in that. We’ve got a pretty serious job to do, people out there are struggling and there’s huge pressures on public services and that’s the job we should be doing.
“I take my job very seriously and so do my colleagues and I think they would expect better.”
Speaking in Glasgow just after he was elected leader on Saturday, Mr Leonard said he was “a bit disappointed” by Ms Dugda- le’s decision to appear on the ITV show. He said suspension was not his initial reaction, but added: “I think it’s something the group will have to consider.”
However, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn does not think she should be suspended. He said: “It’s her choice to go on I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!, I don’t think it’s appropriate to suspend someone from the party for doing that, that’s her choice.”