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Sarwar and Leonard confirm bids for Scottish Labour leadership Sarwar and Leonard confirm bids for Scottish Labour leadership
(about 7 hours 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. A former deputy leader of Labour in Scotland will go head to head with a former trade union organiser standing for the party’s pro-Jeremy Corbyn wing in the battle to take over the party following the resignation of Kezia Dugdale.
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 confirmed he would stand against Richard Leonard in a contest that will be seen as a battle between Labour’s moderates and leftwingers, fuelled in part by accusations that Sarwar has come from the New Labour wing of the party.
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. Sarwar signed a statement by Labour MSPs last year opposing Corbyn’s bid for reelection but he now insists he would unify the party behind Corbyn. He earned commendations from Corbyn’s team after organising a full to capacity meeting at Glasgow Central Mosque to hear Corbyn during his tour of Scotland late last month.
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. “Labour is revitalised in Scotland and I am ready to unite our party and lead us back to power,” he said. “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.”
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. The warnings against factionalism echo a detailed statement last week urging a “comradely, respectful” contest from the Campaign for Socialism, a leftwing Scottish grouping originally set up to oppose Tony Blair’s rewriting of clause four in 1994. In contrast to the deep splits which have divided Labour at Westminster, the Scottish party has remained relatively united under Dugdale’s leadership.
After enduring significant electoral defeats by the Scottish National party in 2015 and 2016, and the splits over Corbyn’s leadership bid last year, senior figures in both wings of the Scottish party say they are keen to preserve that unity during the leadership election.
The CfS is endorsing Leonard’s candidacy, who reluctantly agreed to stand after the Corbyn camp’s favoured candidate, Neil Findlay, refused to put his name forward as did Alex Rowley, a former agent for Gordon Brown, who is now the acting Scottish Labour leader.
Party sources predict that 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 manoeuvering 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, Mohammad Sarwar, attempted to reassure leftwing activists he was not standing on an anti-Corbyn ticket. But he indicated he would keep the Scottish party’s policies, which includes 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: “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 Corbyn camp has been pressing for more time to allow more registered supporters to join the party in a bid to boost the left vote, which has grown after the Scottish party did better than expected in the June general election.
The formal campaigns are expected to start next week after Labour’s Scottish executive committee agrees on the rules and timetable for the contest. Support for Corbyn in Scotland has also 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 UK Labour which voted for Owen Smith, Corbyn’s opponent in last year’s leadership 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. Leonard is also 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 unused to media appearances.
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. Sarwar very comfortably won the deputy leadership contest vote when he stood in 2011, winning 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.
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.
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.
The formal campaigns are expected to start next week after Labour’s Scottish executive committee agrees on the rules and timetable for the contest.