Former MSP Neil Findlay has warned that the left of Scottish Labour must “get its act together” and unite behind a single candidate to save the party from “death row”. Findlay, who quit Labour last year in protest at Keir Starmer’s leadership, said whoever wins the race to replace Anas Sarwar will have to contend with the “catastrophic” fallout of the 2026 Holyrood election.
Sarwar quits Holyrood
Scottish Labour returned just 17 MSPs in May – its lowest ever total – despite a drop in support for the SNP. The Record revealed last week that Sarwar will leave the Scottish Parliament and take a peerage to accept a UK Government ministerial post offered by Andy Burnham. Jackie Baillie will remain as an MSP and deputy leader.
Findlay was scathing of both Sarwar and Baillie. Monica Lennon, a left-winger who will return to Holyrood as a list MSP following Sarwar’s exit, has already declared her candidacy. However, there are fears the left vote could be split if sitting MSP Katy Clark also runs.
Findlay’s criticism
Findlay told the Record: “Scottish Labour is on death row. Two decades of declining representation in the Scottish Parliament has allowed a failed SNP Government to rule unchallenged. The abject inability of Labour to have a credible and coherent position on the constitution, combined with a dearth of new and attractive policies, is unforgivable.
“The right-wing clique who controlled the party’s manifesto, strategy, candidate selection and spending in the run up to the 2026 election have failed catastrophically. Anas Sarwar has crawled off to the House of Lords but his ‘chief enforcer’ Jackie Baillie remains in post. While she might have succeeded in retaining her seat since 1999, her attempt to impose her local strategy, combined with ultra-Unionism, on the rest of Scotland has been an unmitigated disaster.”
Call for change
Findlay continued: “The Scottish Labour Party will never move on until it addresses these issues and rids itself of Ms Baillie’s disastrous influence. The left of the party must get its act together around one candidate for leader and a new deputy leader. If Jackie Baillie does not stand down, then a de facto deputy should be appointed by passing her and any remaining influence she clings on to.
“Only then will Scottish Labour be able to move on from the undemocratic position it has on the constitution and begin to challenge the rigged neo-liberal economic model that Andy Burnham has spoken about.”
Other candidates
Michael Marra, Scottish Labour’s finance spokesman, and new MSP Joe Fagan both announced their intention to join the leadership contest this week. Nominations formally open on August 3 with a deadline of August 17. Scottish Labour members will vote between August 28 and September 17, with a winner declared on September 19.
