LEONARD CONSIDERS AXE
Leonard urged to sack Kez as party are split
Richard Leonard was urged by a senior party colleague to sack jungle-bound Kezia Dugdale on his first day in charge of Scottish Labour.
Leonard’s predecessor sparked outrage af ter it emerged that she will appear on this year’s I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
Dugdale’s decision to follow politicians such as George Galloway and Tommy Sheridan into reality TV split the party Leonard had hoped to unite after a bruising leadership battle.
But instead of the focus being on the left-wing winner of the contest’s vision for Scottish Labour, attention yesterday was on who knew what about Dugdale’s plan.
She is set to fly to Australia tonight amid claims that she was ordered to stay.
The Lothian list MSP now faces suspension from the party that she led just months ago.
Former trade union leader Leonard said: “I think it’s something the parliamentary group will have to consider.”
But Labour’s UK leader Jeremy Corbyn said: “I don’ t think it’ s appropriate to suspend someone from the party for doing that – that’s her choice.”
Dug dale will spend three weeks in Australia, missing next week’s UK Budget.
She will donate a portion of her MSP’ s salary and some of her five- figure TV appearance fee to charity.
But Stephen Low, a member of Scottish Labour’s governing executive, said her decision to go on I’m a Celebrity was “outrageous”. Low, who was a member of Leonard’s press team during his leadership campaign, said: “Kezia is treating the electorate and the party with utter contempt. “I don’t give a monkey’s what charity she is giving her salary to when she is not doing her job. “She was elected to do a job for Labour. If she isn’t doing it, the party should take disciplinary action.” Jenny Marra, Labour MSP for North East Scotland, tweeted: “Election to parliament is a privilege to serve and represent people. It’s not a shortcut to celebrity.”
Another Labour colleague, Neil Findlay, who wants to introduce a law cracking down on the time MSPs can spend on second jobs, joked: “Looks like my double jobbing bill will need an I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here amendment!”
Labour insiders said Dugdale asked party business manager James Kelly for permission to appear on the ITV programme and that he said no.
However, sources close to Dugdale insisted Kelly said it wasn’t his decision to take as a new leader and business manager would be in place when she left for Australia.
It is also understood that she asked both Leonard and his leadership rival Anas Sarwar if she could take three weeks off for something that would raise money for charity – but did not mention I’m a Celebrity.
Leonard said: “I awoke, as many other people did this morning, to the news that Kezia is going into that programme, and I think that is something the group are going to have to consider over the next few days.”
A spokeswoman for the new
leader added: “Kezia Dugdale did not inform him that she was going to be on I’m a Celebrity.
“If she had done so, he would have made it crystal clear that it was the wrong thing to do.”
Sarwar said he would have preferred Dugdale to remain at Holyrood rather than appear on a reality TV programme.
He said: “I want us focusing on education, the NHS and employability, rather than kangaroo testicles.”
In 2012, the Tories suspended MP Nadine Dorries for taking part in the show, although she was reinstated the next year.
Dugdale tweeted at the time: “David Cameron has been desperate to ditch Nadine Dorries since her election – how daft of her to serve him up a reason on a plate.”
Dugdale has not commented on her appearance on I’m a Celebrity.
But a source close to her said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to talk about the burning issues of the day, such as Brexit or women in politics, to a huge audience on prime-time TV.
“Kez worked phenomenal shifts for the party for very little reward. It was a thankless task for her for two years.
“The very least the party can
do is to allow her to spend a shshort time in Australia, for wh which she will be donating to ch charity her MSP’s salary for that pe period and part of her TV fee.”
The Th source added: “Kez is categorically ca not standing down do as an MSP. It would be disappointing if the parliamentary pa group took the th decision to suspend her.”
Dugdale D is due to join campmates ca including Boris Johnson’s Joh dad Stanley and The Saturdays Sa singer Vanessa White W in Australia.
But B former Labour f irst minister mi Henry McLeish urged her he not to get on the plane tonight.
He said: “Even at this stage it’s not too late to think again. She still has a big future in Scottish and UK politics.
“I would ask her to think about what she has achieved, but also about the potential damage this could do to her, because the public don’t take too kindly to politicians participating in events like this.”
Dugdale quit as Scottish Labour leader in August but vowed to stay on as a backbencher.
She said it was time to “pass on the baton” to someone else with “fresh energy, drive and a new mandate”.
Leonard yesterday became Scottish Labour’s fourth leader in just three years.
Nearly 22,000 party members, affiliates and supporters voted, with 56.7 per cent backing Leonard and 43.3 per cent choosing Sarwar.
Speaking to activists in Glasgow after the result was announced, Leonard pledged Labour would be the “radical party of change once more”.
He said: “We’ve started to build a Scottish Labour Party which people can believe in again. We are only at the beginning.
“After this leadership election, we will reunite on the basis of our values – values forged in the fire of daily struggles – reconnecting with people in workplaces and in communities right across Scotland.”
Meanwhile, bookies are offering 8-1 odds on Dugdale winning I’m a Celebrity.
Ladbrokes spokesman Alex Apati said: “She may have arrived late to the party Down Under but the odds suggest she could go a long way in the jungle.”
Even at this stage it’s not too late to think again. She still has a big future in Scottish and UK politics