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McConnell to step down as leader McConnell quits Labour leadership
(about 7 hours later)
Former first minister Jack McConnell is to announce his resignation as Scottish Labour leader, it is understood. Former first minister Jack McConnell has announced his immediate resignation as Scottish Labour leader.
The 47-year-old is said to want to undertake new challenges, including becoming involved with projects in the Third World. The 47-year-old, who will stay on as MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw, is to become the next British High Commissioner to Malawi.
Mr McConnell has been under pressure to go since the Scottish National Party won the Holyrood elections in May. Mr McConnell had been under pressure to go since the Scottish National Party won the Holyrood elections in May.
There has been speculation that the MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw has been offered a seat in the House of Lords. He said his party needed to re-engage with the people and develop new policies to rebuild support.
Mr McConnell forged close connections between Scotland and Malawi - and it is thought he will undertake a new role assisting with education projects in that country. Former enterprise minister Wendy Alexander has been tipped as the frontrunner to succeed Mr McConnell, but it is not clear if there will be a leadership contest.
However, it is believed he will remain an MSP. Deputy leader Cathy Jamieson will take the party reins in the meantime.
Former enterprise minister Wendy Alexander has been tipped as the frontrunner to succeed him. It is time for the rest of my life to begin Jack McConnellFormer Scottish Labour leader class="" href="/1/hi/scotland/6941076.stm">In quotes: Jack McConnell class="" href="/1/hi/scotland/6947680.stm">Resignation statement class="" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/briantaylor/">Read Brian Taylor's blog
However, it is not clear if there will be a leadership contest. Mr McConnell will also undertake an education project to help children in Malawi and Rwanda on behalf of the Clinton Hunter Development Initiative - the organisation set up by former US president Bill Clinton and Scots philanthropist Sir Tom Hunter.
Mr McConnell was elected first minister and Scottish Labour leader in 2001, succeeding Henry McLeish. He will continue as an MSP while the current high commissioner, Richard Wildash, completes his posting, scheduled to end in 2009.
It will take a wee bit of the attention away from the SNP for a little while as people begin to contemplate who will replace him as Labour leader at Holyrood Glenn Campbell,Political correspondent Announcing his departure as leader at a press conference Mr McConnell, who succeeded Henry McLeish as first minister and Scottish Labour leader in 2001, said he took over at a challenging time, when some were wondering whether devolution could survive.
Following the SNP's victory in this year's Holyrood elections, Mr McConnell said he would continue as party leader and refused to speculate on when he might go or face a challenger. He told reporters: "Scotland is a far better place now than it was six years ago.
BBC Scotland political correspondent Glenn Campbell said: "It's certainly been expected that he would make some sort of statement by the end of the month. "We are more prosperous and more confident as a nation.
"I think it's been fairly clear that he didn't want to do that before the SNP launched its national conversation on the future of Scotland and its plans for an independence referendum. "I believe that we have made this progress because we took bold action and addressed many of the real issues that had held Scotland back."
"That is now out of the way and obviously that discussion will still be going on tomorrow. Despite Labour's disappointing election performance, Mr McConnell expressed a hope that the party could still achieve some of its planned education reforms.
"If indeed he confirms his resignation it will take a wee bit of the attention away from the SNP for a little while as people begin to contemplate who will replace him as Labour leader at Holyrood." class="" href="/1/hi/scotland/6921903.stm">Wendy Alexander profile
He said: "The Scottish Labour Party needs to respond to the election defeat in May and hear what the Scottish people had to tell us.
"We need to re-engage with our people to develop the policies and the approach which will rebuild our support, because those with the least need us to be successful."
Mr McConnell, who as first minister forged close connections between Scotland and Malawi, will take on his role at the Clinton Hunter Development Initiative on a voluntary basis.
"I am very excited to bring together my other two life-long passions; education to release human potential and ending poverty in Africa," he said.
"In fact I can't wait to get started. It is time for the rest of my life to begin."
First Minister Alex Salmond said Mr McConnell had left Scotland in a better state than he found it, adding: "Addressing Scotland's poor public health record and expanding Scotland's horizons abroad will be regarded as substantial achievements."
Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie said: "We never doubted his wholehearted commitment to devolution, to the Scottish Parliament and to Scotland."
Nicol Stephen, the Scots Lib Dem leader who worked alongside Mr McConnell as deputy first minister, said leading a coalition government was a tough challenge.
Secure backing
"Jack McConnell was prepared to put aside narrow party dogma to seek and build consensus on a positive way forward for Scotland," said Mr Stephen.
His departure has left Scottish Labour with the task of finding a fourth leader since 1999.
The party will meet later this week to decide what happens now.
Any candidate must secure the backing of six other MSPs in order to stand, according to the rules.
  • An earlier version of this story contained a reference to a statement from Downing Street which we said had wrongly spelt Jack McConnell's surname.
    • The statement did not wrongly spell Mr McConnell's surname. This error was made internally within the BBC and not by Downing Street. We are happy to point this out and apologise for the error.