Clamour grows for Scottish Labour leader to give up post

POLITICS: Richard Leonard hanging on as party split widens over his leadership

Richard Leonard signalled his determination to cling on as the head of Scottish Labour despite a growing number of colleagues calling for him to resign.

As the party descended into civil war, he dug in his heels and escalated an already incendiary situation by raising the threat of deselection for those rebelling against him.

Mr Leonard said the mutiny “calls into question” whether “some of these people are the best people to stand for the Labour Party” in next year’s Holyrood election.

The threat is a live one given that Scottish Labour has yet to decide which candidates will be chosen to stand for the party on the Holyrood list and how they will be ranked under the Scottish Parliament’s voting system.

The split between the left-wingers in the Scottish party, led by Mr Leonard, and the moderates widened as a second Labour MSP resigned from the frontbench.

Mark Griffin resigned from Mr Leonard’s team just moments after Mr Leonard went head-to-head with Nicola Sturgeon at First Minister’s Questions.

He quit as social security spokesman and became the fourth MSP to urge Mr Leonard to step aside. Mr Griffin said he did not have confidence in Mr Leonard’s leadership and objected to the way the Scottish Labour leader had reacted to those who had criticised him.

In his resignation letter to Mr Leonard, Mr Griffin accused him of labelling colleagues as “disgruntled and factional” for expressing honest opinions when they were acting out of concern for the party.

Mr Griffin followed James Kelly, who delivered a brutal verdict on Mr Leonard’s leadership when he left the Shadow Cabinet.

Mr Kelly, who was formerly Labour’s justice spokesman, said he had no confidence in Mr Leonard’s ability to “shape the party’s message, strategy and organisation”.

Mr Kelly said his views were shared by other parliamentarians, party members and members of the public.

His claim was backed up when other senior Labour figures joined the clamour for Mr Leonard to go.

Dundonian North East region MSP Jenny Marra told The Times the “unavoidable truth” was that Mr Leonard could not lead the party any longer.

Ms Marra said Mr Leonard’s leadership had been tied to the “disaster” of Jeremy Corbyn’s time in charge of the UK party and warned that if Scottish Labour did not change course it risked “catastrophe” at the May election.

Their calls were backed by fellow Labour MSP Daniel Johnson, who said: “It is not easy speaking out but my colleagues Jenny Marra and James Kelly have done the right thing.”

But their calls triggered a furious backlash from the Corbyn-supporting wing of the party, with the left-winger Neil Findlay, describing their actions as “treachery with a snarl”.

Mr Leonard also received support from Highland MSP Rhoda Grant who called for unity by pointing out he had been elected leader less than three years ago.

Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Alex Rowley also backed Mr Leonard, claiming he was the best person for the job, although he called on him to “drive forward” Labour’s position as a prodevolution party that supported staying in the UK.

But in a sign of the challenges faced by Mr Leonard, the clamour for his resignation was joined by a former supporter. Ged Killen, the ex-mp for Rutherglen and Hamilton, had nominated Mr Leonard for Labour leader when he replaced Kezia Dugdale.

Mr Killen said Mr Leonard was an “honest, decent man”, but under his leadership “things have gone from bad to significantly worse”.

Mr Killen, who lost his Westminster seat in December, added: “Every party member I speak to is in despair. He must now do the decent thing and resign.”

A spokesman for UK Labour leader Keir Starmer said Mr Leonard’s future was a matter for the Scottish party, but said the two men had a “good working relationship”.

Mr Leonard said: “I am leading Scottish Labour into the 2021 elections on a platform of building a National Care Service, establishing a quality Jobs Guarantee Scheme and reviving Scotland’s economy with a Green New Deal.

“If any party representative thinks an internal faction fight is more important than this agenda, they will have to answer to the party members and the voters whom we serve.”

Mr Leonard added it was “deeply disappointing that disgruntled MSPS who never supported my leadership” were now trying to “wage an internal war”.

The rebellion erupted following months of dissatisfaction at Scottish Labour’s lack of direction. Those concerns were heightened following a poll that suggested fewer than half of the voting public knew who Mr Leonard was. Other surveys have forecast a dismal election for Scottish Labour.

There were murmurings about his leadership following a poor result at the European election last year, which saw the party lose both of its MEPS.

The disquiet has grown since then and it is understood that a number of MSPS approached Mr Leonard over the summer to urge him to step down. Mr Leonard ignored their pleas. Mr Kelly confronted Mr Leonard three weeks ago to tell him of his concerns.

Some Labour insiders believe Mr Leonard’s “stubborn nature” will result in him hanging on until the election, due to the lack of an obvious replacement.

Others, however, believe now that so many prominent figures have broken ranks, his future looks uncertain. One Labour source said: “It is not like it was after the European elections. This is far more serious. People say there is no one to take over. But someone needs to stand up. I am clear that there are a number of people that can do better than Richard Leonard.”

There has been speculation that Anas Sarwar, the Glasgow MSP, may throw his hat back into the ring but Mr Sarwar was defeated in a bruising leadership contest three years ago.

There are also those who would hope that Ms Marra might be prepared to take over what has become a poisoned chalice.

No fewer than nine individuals have held the post since the birth of the Scottish Parliament in 1999. In recent years the turnover has been particularly rapid with Wendy Alexander, Iain Gray, Johann Lamont, Jim Murphy, Kezia Dugdale and Mr Leonard occupying the position since 2007.

Even Richard Leonard’s fiercest critics are keen to stress his decency. The Scottish Labour leader, who is embroiled in a desperate civil war for survival, is personally admired even by those trying to depose him.

It is a sad fact that decency is no guarantee of success and Mr Leonard’s tenure as leader has been defined by failure.

Not only electoral failure – of which there has been plenty – but also a failure to act when circumstances demanded it.

He failed to intervene when John Mcdonnell torpedoed Labour’s election strategy last year by unilaterally rewriting the party’s position on a second independence referendum.

He failed to stand up for what he knew was right when Labour apparatchiks maliciously withdrew legal support from former leader Kezia Dugdale in her defamation battle with a political blogger.

And he has failed to make any inroads into the public consciousness in three years leading what used to be the country’s most dominant political party.

That has very much been a failure of his own philosophy and temperament.

A trade union organiser for much of his career, Mr Leonard is very comfortable talking to Labour members about Keir Hardie and the history of socialism. The language of the ordinary voter seems beyond him.

Decency should be a prerequisite for any party leader. Mr Leonard’s problem is it appears to be his only qualification.

Pictures: PA. Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard, who has said the party is looking to recover as it heads into the 2021 election.

MSP Jenny Marra has called for Mr Leonard’s resignation.