Leonard in hard-Left Labour bid

SCOTS Labour leadership contender Richard Leonard yesterday launched his bid for power with a radical programme of hard-Left policies.

The former trade union firebrand promised to make Jeremy Corbyn’s failed vision from June’s General Election a reality for Scotland.

He drew the battlegrounds for a war on wealth, promised a state spending spree on mass nationalisation and a crackdown on the likes of private landlords and company bosses.

Mr Leonard, who has only been an MSP for just over a year, also pledged to oppose a second independence referendum.

He accused the SNP of a ‘decade of complacency’ and pledged to force Scotland to the Left.

Mr Leonard said yesterday: ‘I am standing for the leadership of the Scottish Labour party because nearly 13 million people voted for a Labour manifesto committed to extending public ownership, to ending austerity and to redistributing power to the many from the few.’

There was no explanation of how Mr Leonard would fund such a wild state spending spree but he made it clear wealthy Scots are in the firing line.

Rival Anas Sarwar launched his campaign on Friday, promising to ‘rescue the NHS’ and launching a personal attack on Nicola Sturgeon.

Dean Lockhart, Scots Conservative economy spokesman, warned both candidates showed clear signs Scottish Labour was ‘lurching to the Left’.