Starmer ally says Leonard should weigh up position

Scottish Labour’ s embattled leader has been urged to recognise that polls are “pretty dire for Labour” in Scotland by a leading member of Sir Keir Starmer’s frontbench.

Rachel Reeves, the shadow cabinet office minister, has added to the pressure on Richard Leonard to quit as Scottish Labour leader. She was asked yesterday if she backed the calls of four of his MSPS, who demanded he resign stating Labour was heading for “catastrophe” in next year’s Holy - rood elections.

While Sir Keir’s office neither came out in support of Mr Leonard on Wednesday or backed calls for him to go, Ms Reeves gave the strongest hint yet the UK Labour leader does not believe he can continue to lead the party in Scotland.

She said :“I think that Richard Leonard needs to think about his position. The opinion polls in Scotland are pretty dire for Labour. We’ve got important elections next year, but those are decisions for Scottish Labour.”

Ms Reeves added: “I think he needs to consider his position and do what he thinks is right for Scotland ... it wouldn’t be right as an English MP to instruct what happens in the Scottish Labour party, but he needs to look at the opinion polls .” Peers Helen Liddell, ex defence secretary George Robertson and Meta Ram say have also reportedly urged Mr Leonard to step down. Reacting to Ms Reeves’s comments, Mr Leonard insisted he would carry on as leader.