Scottish contenders set out their stalls at hustings

Scottish Labour leadership contender Kezia Dugdale has called for the baton to be handed to a new generation as her opponent Ken Macintosh pledged to be the candidate for change.

The MSPs were setting out their stalls as they sought support at the first in a series of hustings at the Apex International Hotel in Edinburgh.

Both are vying for the position left vacant by Jim Murphy.

Addressing an audience of party members, former deputy leader Ms Dugdale said the party had to address its lack of appeal to younger voters.

She said: “We should be proud of the successes of our past... but the great danger of constantly reminding people of the past is that we look like the past.

“I believe it’s time for a new generation to lead the Scottish Labour Party.”

Mr Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, said: “It’s not just a new generation we need, it’s a new approach. There’s no point in having a new generation if we make the same mistakes.”

He also called for the party to stop “obsessing” about the SNP and focus instead on its own agenda, using the Scottish Parliament “to make a difference”.