Lennon and Sarwar in battle to become next Scottish Labour leader
Pair throw their hats in the ring to replace Leonard
TWO Labour MSPs are to go head-tohead in the race to replace Richard Leonard as Scottish party leader.
Glasgow MSP Anas Sarwar had set out his stall to run for the top job early after Mr Leonard’s shock resignation, saying that it was time to ‘show the best of the Labour party’.
Although Mr Sarwar, who lost a previous leadership bid to Mr Leonard in 2017, said he hopes to be a ‘credible candidate for First Minister’ – he signalled this would take years to achieve. Up until yesterday evening, the 37year-old had been he only person to put his name forward to replace Mr Leonard – with a midnight deadline for MSPs to note interest. But at the eleventh hour rival Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, threw her hat into the ring, claiming she wanted to see a ‘fairer, more equal Scotland’.
Mr Leonard dramatically quit on Thursday citing concerns his leadership had become a ‘distraction’ just months after he survived a coup attempt.
He took over from predecessor Kezia Dugdale, who reportedly quit over the party’s stance on Brexit.
Speaking yesterday, Mr Sarwar admitted that his party had been through a ‘very challenging period’ in recent times and that simply changing its leader would not ‘change our fortunes’ overnight.
But he insisted that in moving forward the Labour party must unite behind the new leader.
He said: ‘This is a longer-term project. It requires new people, requires new ideas that requires fresh thinking and it requires a fresh vision for Scotland.
‘We can only preach unity to the country if we demonstrate unity ourselves and I think we’ve got to show the best of the Labour Party in the coming weeks, rather than the worst of it.’
Mr Sarwar said the party must ‘be honest about where we currently are’ adding: ‘My ambition is one day to stand as a credible candidate for First Minister of Scotland.
‘But if you look at the polls, I don’t think people would believe that position. I think instead we’ve got to be honest about what our current position is. This is a project to try and rescue and save the Labour Party, to rebuild the Labour Party and then have the opportunity to rebuild in Scotland.’
Mr Sarwar announced his bid to become leader on Saturday night, with all those hoping to express interest having a deadline of midnight on Sunday.
Announcing her intention to also run for the position Miss Lennon, 40, Tweeted: ‘Following extensive discussions with party members, I have put my name forward to lead the Scottish Labour Party.
‘This is an important time for our country and it is vital that Scottish Labour continues to play a positive and constructive role during the pandemic response.’
She added: ‘Scottish Labour Party members deserve to have their say about the best way to take forward our vision for a fairer and more equal Scotland.’
Last week it was claimed that Mr Leonard had been forced to stand down after donors threatened to withdraw support from the party if he did not.
On Saturday, the party’s executive agreed to a condensed timescale for any contest with the Holyrood elections less than four months away.
The last Scottish Labour leadership contest in 2017 – when Mr Leonard defeated Mr Sarwar – took two-and-a-half months.