Scottish Labour leadership contender Monica Lennon has called on Jackie Baillie to stand down as deputy leader as part of a proposed party overhaul. Lennon said the post should be held by an MP and a councillor, a change that would require Baillie's resignation.
Proposed leadership model
Lennon, who has not yet secured the nominations to become a candidate, is promising to restructure the party's leadership. She told the Record: “All of our deputy leaders in the past have worked tirelessly to drive the party forward but the times we are in call for radical change.”
“I will seek a rule change for a new leadership model with two Deputy Leaders, one an MP and one a councillor, helping rebuild and strengthen the relationship between MPs, MSPs and councillors while increasing our focus on campaigning, growing the party and the development of radical policy.”
Candidate selection and protected places
Lennon also said the leadership team should not be involved in candidate selection. “If elected, the leadership team will not be involved in candidate selection, including on interview panels. At all stages, prospective candidates must have a fair and impartial process, free from conflicts of interest.”
Currently, the leader and deputy are automatically given the top spots on a regional list of their choice for Holyrood elections. Lennon said she would give up her protected place and seek a rule change “so there is no protected place for any Leader or Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party.”
Leadership contest context
MSPs Michael Marra, Joe Fagan and Lennon are vying to replace Anas Sarwar, who quit last month after the party's Holyrood election defeat to the SNP. Baillie has stayed in post despite Sarwar's departure.
The three contenders have hit out at internal briefings against candidates during a hustings in Glasgow. Marra warned against “negative cowardly briefings”, saying those who believed they could win votes were “dangerously deluded”. Lennon criticised “factionalism, dirty tricks and smears”.
