Scottish Labour MSP Katy Clark has nominated Monica Lennon in the party's leadership contest, after deciding not to stand herself. In a statement on Tuesday, Ms Clark said she would back Ms Lennon to "help her get on the ballot paper."
Lennon's ballot hopes boosted
Ms Lennon has returned to Holyrood after former leader Anas Sarwar's appointment to the House of Lords, having lost her seat at May's election. However, reports suggest she could fall short of the required nominations to make it on to the ballot paper in the contest alongside fellow MSPs Michael Marra and Joe Fagan.
Candidates are required to secure the support of three MPs and three MSPs from within the party, and Ms Lennon is one short of the required number of elected members at Holyrood.
Clark's statement
"I have nominated Monica Lennon to help her get on the ballot paper," Ms Clark said on Tuesday. "Members need the widest choice of candidates to select from rather than simply having a continuity candidate being nodded through."
Fagan backs Rosebank and Jackdaw
The news comes as Mr Fagan, who became an MSP only three months ago, backed the approval of the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil fields in the North Sea. In a statement, the former South Lanarkshire Council leader said the approval of the projects could help shift the North Sea from "the first generation" of production to the second.
"Scotland's oil and gas workers deserve a champion," he said. "I will not stop lobbying the UK Government until Jackdaw and Rosebank are approved, and the jobs linked to these projects are protected.
"BP's decision should be a wake-up call. Scotland cannot afford political uncertainty, mixed messages or an SNP Government that has spent years flip-flopping while failing to deliver a serious energy policy.
"It is right that companies making genuinely exceptional profits pay their fair share, especially when household bills are high. But taxation cannot be the whole of our energy policy. We cannot stand on the sidelines while investment stalls, businesses close and workers lose their jobs.
"Jackdaw and Rosebank should be part of a real transition to a new industrial future for the North Sea."
Fagan's energy vision
He added: "Oil and gas will continue to form part of Scotland's energy mix for years to come. The question is whether we support Scottish jobs and Scottish industry, or import more of the energy we need while allowing our skills and supply chains to disappear.
"Scotland should be leading the energy transition, but that will happen only if we keep skilled workers in employment, support them into the jobs of the future and ensure that the wealth created here benefits communities here.
"As Scottish Labour leader, I would stand up for energy workers in oil and gas, renewables and every part of Scotland's industrial future. My message to workers in Scotland's energy industry is simple: in me, you will have a champion."
