LEONARD CALLS FOR BACKING IN LEADER RACE
RICHARD Leonard yesterday insisted it will not be a trade union “stitch-up” if he wins the Scottish Labour leadership contest.
The former GMB official defended himself against accusations that he would hand back control to Jeremy Corbyn in London and his powerful trade union backers.
He spoke out as the Daily Record hosted a high-profile showdown between Leonard and his leadership rival Anas Sarwar at the Labour Party conference.
Party members abandoned Brighton’s rocky beaches to hear from the two men battling it out to replace Kezia Dugdale, who resigned from the post last month.
Asked about the support of Labour’s largest affiliated union Unite, and the influence of their General Secretary Len McCluskey, the Central Scotland MSP was defiant about claims of a stitch-up.
He said: “I am delighted to receive support from all the trade unions that have declared so far.
“As for Unite’s support, it was decided after a hustings in Glasgow, it wasn’t a decision taken by Len McCluskey but by rank and file members in Scotland.”
It was revealed earlier this week that Unite have signed up more than 2700 registered supporters to take part in the contest.
And Leonard cemented his status as the trade union favourite after receiving the backing of public services union Unison and the bakers’ union BFAWU yesterday.
The developments brought the total number of unions backing him to six. The veteran left-winger said he was proud to have supported Corbyn in his two leadership battles but he added: “It is unfair to label me as a Corbynista.
“I’ve held my views for 30 years. That is how I am like Jeremy Corbyn, I am consistent in my beliefs.
“People have said they were out of fashion but they are the views that have carried me and they are the platform on which I stand.”
Sarwar also came out fighting after the most bruising week of his political life, in which he has faced criticism over sending his children to private school and revelations that his family firm are not unionised and don’t pay the real living wage.
In his opening statement, the party’s former deputy leader said he would “never apologise for being my father’s son”.
Asked about his relationship with the family business, Sarwar said he had chosen a life of public service rather than a role in the company founded by his dad, former Glasgow Central MP Mohammad Sarwar.
He said: “I chose to take a different path, that is why I trained as an NHS dentist.”
Sarwar hit back at the critics who suggested his background and family meant he was unsuitable to be Scottish Labour leader.
He said: “I have relinquished all my shares and all my assets, I can never access those shares again. That is how committed I am. I will let no one question my place in the Labour Party.
“I stood side by side with Labour Party members against fascism and racism, side by side to keep our country together.”
The candidates both rejected Dugdale’s call for a second EU referendum. In her Record column yesterday, she accused Corbyn of running a “lazy and lacklustre” Remain campaign last year and insisted Labour should now be fighting harder to maintain membership of the single market.
Leonard told party members: “I am not persuaded that we need a second referendum. The column by Kezia was interesting. I think she is trying to pin the blame on the wrong guy [Jeremy Corbyn].
“The person who is responsible for the mess that we are in over the EU is David Cameron.” He added later it was premature to call for a second vote. Sarwar also rejected it, saying the country had no appetite for another poll.
He defended Dugdale’s right to speak on the issue, though, as “she is a proud European, and she has always been passionate about the EU”.
Sarwar earlier told delegates he would be willing to disagree with the UK party if he felt it was in Scotland’s interests.
He said: “It’s about saying in a grown-up environment, with an autonomous Scottish Labour Party not being a branch office ... that we can take different decisions in Scotland that are right for Scotland’s interests.”
In a comradely debate chaired by the Record’s Westminster Editor Torcuil Crichton, each candidate confirmed they would serve in the other’s shadow cabinet if they lost.
Only one clear dividing line emerged – the future of the Trident nuclear weapons system based on the Clyde.
Sarwar backed the ongoing renewal of the weapons, saying: “I think we made our pledge in the manifesto on Trident – and I’ll stick with it.”
But Leonard said he was opposed to nuclear weapons and was a life-long member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
He added: “I do not think Trident should be renewed but there must be protections in place for the workforce.”