‘This is a chance to break away and renew what I came into politics for in the first place’

It was the first day of her court hearing. Kezia Dugdale had sat for hours listening to the prosecution outlining why she should be found to have defamed a pro-independence blogger.

Leaving the court at 4pm, a quick change of clothes and a taxi ride later she was in front a four-member panel who were grilling her on why she wanted to leave behind her life as an MSP and become the first director of the John Smith Centre for Public Service. If there was just one reason, perhaps it was back in that court room. But in reality there are many reasons for Ms Dugdale to go.

She was 34 when she became leader of Scottish Labour, a party still reeling from the electoral support seen for the SNP after the independence referendum. Now 37, she has lost a best friend in Gordon Aikman, who passed away after a very public campaign to get more resources for motor neurone patients; she was publicly outed as gay; she split from her fiancée Louise and found a new relationship with SNP MSP Jenny Gilruth; she resigned as leader of her party; went to the Australian jungle for a TV reality show, and launched the Scottish Labour pro-remain campaign – and all while the defamation case brought by Stuart Campbell kept her awake at night.

Yesterday she said it didn’t take too long for her to decide to go for the think-tank job after being approached by a headhunter.

“My name was recommended for the job and I had a solid two weeks to consider putting in an application and at that time it was before the Wings case, and that was what was at the forefront of my mind. Though I was looking forward to being beyond it – the end was almost in sight and there was a chance for new beginnings. I believe things happen for a reason and so I thought I needed to think about it really seriously.

“I got really excited about it. It was a unique opportunity to do politics without the party politics bit and it came at the right time.”

She says she’s been supported in her decision by her partner, Jenny, and her mother. Ms Dugdale says of her partner: “I think we’ve handled that well despite doing the same job in the same workplace … I don’t think she’d mind me saying she tried to discourage me from doing this [resigning[ because I’ll miss it. She’s asked the hard questions and making sure it was right. She wasn’t cheering me out the door saying this is a victory for the SNP, she’s been very encouraging.”

As for her mother, she says “she’ll enjoy the respite from the headlines that will come with my new role”.

She admits she might have had other thoughts if her resignation had triggered a byelection but as it doesn’t, and she’ll be replaced by a Labour MSP, she doesn’t feel like she’s letting the side down.

She adds: “I have a lot of party political baggage now and this is a chance to break away from that past and renew what I came into politics for in the first place – that it is a force for good.”