Two more MSPs have announced their intention to stand in the Scottish Labour leadership contest, following the resignation of Anas Sarwar. Party finance spokesman Michael Marra and South Scotland regional MSP Joe Fagan join Monica Lennon, who declared her candidacy last week.
Marra calls for change
Mr Marra, the North East regional MSP, said the party must change after successive election defeats. He said he has the “skills, the experience and the character” to lead the party on the “road to recovery”.
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. This is not a question of reacting to one bad defeat. Scottish Labour has gone backwards six Holyrood elections in a row.”
Fagan emphasises local roots
Mr Fagan, first elected in the 2026 Scottish elections, previously served as leader of South Lanarkshire Council. He said: “Scottish Labour needs to learn lessons from where we have won, not just where we have lost. Andy Burnham’s by-election victory in Makerfield and our own successes in South Lanarkshire show that Labour can win back trust when we are rooted in communities and serious about changing people’s lives. The lesson is simple: people will listen to Scottish Labour again when we stop sounding like a party talking to itself and start proving that we are on their side. As a local council leader I worked across party lines to make swimming free for South Lanarkshire’s under-16s, to cut the cost of living and deliver the best-paid home care workforce in the country.”
Leadership election timeline
Ms Lennon, who lost her seat at the May election, 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. The party confirmed a new leader will be elected by September 19. 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.”
