East Kilbride politician Joe Fagan has officially reached the voting stage of the race to become Scottish Labour leader after gaining sufficient support to be included on the ballot being sent to party members this month.
The South Scotland MSP, who was leader of South Lanarkshire Council for four years until his Holyrood election in May, will go up against North-East representative Michael Marra as they bid to succeed Anas Sarwar following his move to the House of Lords.
Campaign Kickoff
Mr Fagan, who has embarked on a tour of Scotland to meet party members during the voting period, said: “Getting on the ballot is just the first step – the real work starts now. This campaign is about rebuilding from the grassroots up.”
Nominations closed on Monday morning with the two MSPs gaining the required number of endorsements from parliamentarians, constituency parties and trade unions; but returning MSP Monica Lennon, the incoming Glasgow region representative and former South Lanarkshire councillor, was eliminated after failing to gain sufficient support from the party’s elected members.
Support and Endorsements
Mr Fagan gained the support of 11 other MPs and MSPs including East Kilbride MP Joani Reid and Hamilton & Clyde Valley neighbour Imogen Walker, plus affiliates including the East Kilbride, Clydesdale and Airdrie constituency Labour parties and retail trade union Usdaw.
The MSP – who remains a current councillor and will continue to represent his East Kilbride Central North ward until next May’s council elections – has also gained the backing of South Lanarkshire colleagues including East Kilbride West member Kirsty Williams and Hamilton South colleague Gavin Keatt.
Leadership Tour
Mr Fagan’s leadership tour has so far taken him to Dumfries in his South Scotland region, the Outer Hebrides and to Strathaven to help campaign for next month’s council by-election; and he says he is “proud to be on the ballot to be the next Scottish Labour leader”.
He said a “huge thank you” to his supporters, saying their backing “means a lot”, and added: “I want to take this campaign to every part of Scotland and speak to party members directly about the future of Scottish Labour – because if we want to earn Scotland’s trust again, we need to change.”
The MSP, who had stood in the East Kilbride constituency contest in May but lost out to returning SNP member Collette Stevenson, told the East Kilbride News as he headed to Holyrood: “I want to shake the place up. The Scottish Parliament is an important institution but it’s not working well enough for the people of Scotland. I’m looking forward to having a platform to speak truth to power.”
Union Backing and Next Steps
Usdaw Scottish regional secretary Tony Doonan said: “Joe Fagan has a proven track record of leadership at South Lanarkshire Council and offers a fresh start for Labour in the Scottish Parliament, after very disappointing results at this year’s election.
“We welcome [his] understanding of people’s worries about paying the rent, long waiting lists, jobs and the state of the places they call home. He is committed to rooting Labour in Scotland’s places again: homes built at the scale the emergency demands, good work close to home and power sitting closer to the people it affects.”
Hustings events are now taking place and Labour members will cast their votes between August 28 and September 17, with the winner then being declared at a party event two days later.
