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| Sarwar and Leonard confirm bids for Scottish Labour leadership | Sarwar and Leonard confirm bids for Scottish Labour leadership |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Two MSPs have confirmed they will run in the contest to succeed Kezia Dugdale as Scottish Labour leader after her surprise resignation last week. | Two MSPs have confirmed they will run in the contest to succeed Kezia Dugdale as Scottish Labour leader after her surprise resignation last week. |
| Anas Sarwar, a former deputy leader of Scottish Labour, confirmed on Monday he would stand in the election against Richard Leonard, a former trade union organiser standing for the party’s pro-Jeremy Corbyn wing. | Anas Sarwar, a former deputy leader of Scottish Labour, confirmed on Monday he would stand in the election against Richard Leonard, a former trade union organiser standing for the party’s pro-Jeremy Corbyn wing. |
| The contest will be seen as one between the party’s moderates and its leftwingers, with the rival camps pitting Sarwar’s experience as a former MP and parliamentary operator against Leonard’s reputation in the union movement and among leftwing policymakers. | The contest will be seen as one between the party’s moderates and its leftwingers, with the rival camps pitting Sarwar’s experience as a former MP and parliamentary operator against Leonard’s reputation in the union movement and among leftwing policymakers. |
| Party sources predict Sarwar will pick up a large majority of nominations from Scottish Labour’s 32 MSPs, MPs and MEPs, while Leonard, a former GMB political officer, will be backed by all the major unions. | Party sources predict Sarwar will pick up a large majority of nominations from Scottish Labour’s 32 MSPs, MPs and MEPs, while Leonard, a former GMB political officer, will be backed by all the major unions. |
| In an article for the Sunday Mail, Leonard said Scottish Labour had to stop manoeuvring to win support and implied he would present more radical policies, setting out his stall as a standard-bearer for the Corbyn camp. | In an article for the Sunday Mail, Leonard said Scottish Labour had to stop manoeuvring to win support and implied he would present more radical policies, setting out his stall as a standard-bearer for the Corbyn camp. |
| “That means taking more chances. Labour are in third place [in the Scottish parliament] and unless we are audacious now, we will never win back the support of the people of Scotland,” Leonard wrote. | “That means taking more chances. Labour are in third place [in the Scottish parliament] and unless we are audacious now, we will never win back the support of the people of Scotland,” Leonard wrote. |
| Sarwar, the son of the UK’s first Muslim MP, Mohammed Sarwar, tried to reassure leftwing activists he was not standing on an anti-Corbyn ticket and indicated he would keep the Scottish party’s policies, including a 50p top rate of tax. | Sarwar, the son of the UK’s first Muslim MP, Mohammed Sarwar, tried to reassure leftwing activists he was not standing on an anti-Corbyn ticket and indicated he would keep the Scottish party’s policies, including a 50p top rate of tax. |
| In a statement to announce his candidacy, Sarwar said: “Labour is revitalised in Scotland and I am ready to unite our party and lead us back to power. | In a statement to announce his candidacy, Sarwar said: “Labour is revitalised in Scotland and I am ready to unite our party and lead us back to power. |
| “The people of Scotland do not need a Labour party that is fighting itself. They need a united Labour party in Holyrood that is fighting the SNP and ready to form Scotland’s next government. And they need a united Labour party across the UK working together to elect Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister.” | “The people of Scotland do not need a Labour party that is fighting itself. They need a united Labour party in Holyrood that is fighting the SNP and ready to form Scotland’s next government. And they need a united Labour party across the UK working together to elect Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister.” |
| The formal campaigns are expected to start next week after Labour’s Scottish executive committee agrees on the rules and timetable for the contest. | The formal campaigns are expected to start next week after Labour’s Scottish executive committee agrees on the rules and timetable for the contest. |
| Sarwar’s leadership team was boosted by the arrival of Dugdale’s head of communications at Scottish Labour, Alan Roden. His contract with the party was tied to Dugdale’s position as Labour leader and ended when she resigned. | |
| The Corbyn camp has been pressing for more time to allow more registered supporters to join the party in an attempt to boost the left vote, which has grown after the Scottish party did better than expected in the June general election. He is being backed by the Campaign for Socialism, a group set up in Scotland in 1994 to resist moves by the then leader, Tony Blair, to abandon the commitment to public ownership in clause four of the party’s constitution. | The Corbyn camp has been pressing for more time to allow more registered supporters to join the party in an attempt to boost the left vote, which has grown after the Scottish party did better than expected in the June general election. He is being backed by the Campaign for Socialism, a group set up in Scotland in 1994 to resist moves by the then leader, Tony Blair, to abandon the commitment to public ownership in clause four of the party’s constitution. |
| Some bookmakers have put Leonard as a favourite to win, based on early betting. | Some bookmakers have put Leonard as a favourite to win, based on early betting. |
| Pro-Corbyn support in Scotland has grown since he consolidated his UK leadership but Scottish Labour has recently been more centrist than other parts of the party. It was the only region in Labour that voted for Corbyn’s opponent in last year’s leadership contest, Owen Smith. | |
| Leonard is untested and little known outside the trade union movement. A specialist in industrial and economic policy, Leonard did not have a Twitter account until he agreed to stand as Scottish leader and is not used to media appearances. | Leonard is untested and little known outside the trade union movement. A specialist in industrial and economic policy, Leonard did not have a Twitter account until he agreed to stand as Scottish leader and is not used to media appearances. |
| Sarwar comfortably won the deputy leadership contest when he stood in 2011, taking 51% of the vote against two other candidates. However, his critics see him as dynastic politician after he was nominated in Glasgow Central to replace his father, who had held the seat since 1997. | Sarwar comfortably won the deputy leadership contest when he stood in 2011, taking 51% of the vote against two other candidates. However, his critics see him as dynastic politician after he was nominated in Glasgow Central to replace his father, who had held the seat since 1997. |
| Sarwar also sends his children to a fee-paying school in Glasgow, which he also attended, offering his critics a line of attack. However, Leonard also went to a fee-paying school in York. Some reports suggest Leonard being English will present an obstacle for some voters. | Sarwar also sends his children to a fee-paying school in Glasgow, which he also attended, offering his critics a line of attack. However, Leonard also went to a fee-paying school in York. Some reports suggest Leonard being English will present an obstacle for some voters. |