Scottish Labour MSP Michael Marra has announced he will run for the party’s leadership following the resignation of Anas Sarwar.
It comes as the Scottish Labour Party confirmed a new leader will be elected by September 19. Mr Marra, the party’s finance spokesman, said the party had to change following successive election defeats. He said he had the “skills, the experience and the character” to lead the party on the “road to recovery”.
Second candidate in the race
He is the second person to announce their intention to run in the leadership contest. Monica Lennon, who lost her seat at the May election, launched her leadership bid last week. She will be offered Mr Sarwar’s Glasgow list seat after he stood down to take up a seat in the House of Lords and become a UK minister.
Mr Marra, an MSP for the North East region, said the contest would be a “moment of renewal” for Scottish Labour.
Call for change
He told the Daily Record: “The promise of our Scottish Labour Party is that we build a better, more equal nation, and we leave it as a legacy for our children. “That is a moral purpose. But too often it can become clouded in the day to day of our politics. “In this moment of renewal for our party, we must restate that purpose. But we also have to listen. We have to learn. And we have to change.”
He added: “This is not a question of reacting to one bad defeat. Scottish Labour has gone backwards six Holyrood elections in a row. “That better, more equal Scotland is my driving ambition. It’s what gets me up in the morning. It’s what motivates me to stand up for the people I grew up with here in Dundee. “It’s what drives me as I campaign for change across Scotland. It’s why I’m standing to be the leader of the Scottish Labour Party.”
Leadership election timetable
Nominations will officially open for two weeks from Monday August 3, with party members and supporters being balloted from August 28 to September 17 before a leader is announced on September 19.
Jackie Baillie, acting Scottish Labour leader, said: “I want to thank Anas Sarwar for his leadership and friendship. “He led the Scottish Labour Party with integrity and a vision to build a fairer and more equal Scotland. “The Scottish Executive Committee have tonight agreed a timetable for the election of the next leader of the Scottish Labour Party. “The agreed process guarantees a fair and open contest, while ensuring we are able to progress at pace and elect a new leader without delay.” “This will allow us to continue to build on the hard work of recent years and take Scottish Labour forward, ready to hold the SNP to account and confront the poisonous politics of Reform in Scotland.”
