PRESS RELEASE
'Scottish Labour leadership contest is most important moment in party's history'
This is the most important moment in Scottish Labour’s history.
The resignation of Anas Sarwar has left us at a profound crossroads as we come to terms with our worst ever Scottish Parliament election defeat.
Again, our political conversation turns inward as politicians and activists search through the rubble, trying to locate our party’s missing soul.
But this time – after our sixth consecutive Holyrood defeat – it feels fundamentally different from every electoral loss and leadership contest that came before it.
Some within our parliamentary ranks have already decided they want a coronation, not a contest.
In contrast, our members, councillors, affiliated trade unions, and socialist societies deserve a full, honest debate where every candidate is put under the microscope.
I am proud to have received the first trade union endorsements. I first joined a trade union 25 years ago, long before I joined the Labour Party, and I value the special bond between our party and the labour movement.
Our members and wider movement recognise that we are sitting in the last-chance saloon. Having lost sight of our roots, we struggle to place ourselves in Scotland’s future.
It’s the worst of both worlds, but this identity crisis needn’t be the end of our story. People still need us, and we need them.
When we lost the election in May, my overwhelming feeling afterwards wasn’t self-pity, it was a deep sadness for the people I met during the campaign who had asked us for help.
Like the elderly lady living with dementia and her husband doing everything possible to keep their home the loving, caring place it has always been without the social care support they desperately need.
Or the NHS worker who had to help her dad pay for private surgery after years of living in crippling pain on a waiting list.
And the young people trapped in insecure, precarious work, with no realistic hope of ever affording a home of their own.
You will recognise these stories because they echo the reality for Scots in every village, town, and city. Life is brutally hard for far too many, while Scotland’s vast wealth remains concentrated in far too few hands. Hard work is no longer respected or rewarded as it should be. Bills soar, while the simple things in life drift further out of reach.
It does not need to be this way. Scotland is a wealthy, resourceful country with immense opportunities around every corner. But access to those opportunities is deeply unequal.
Scottish Labour inherited a proud legacy of socialist ideals and bold vision from our founders, yet our election campaign failed to inspire. If we are totally honest with ourselves, very few people in Scotland are paying attention to us any more.
We have lost six Holyrood elections in a row and have spent nearly two decades angry at ourselves and the electorate since the SNP sidelined us into opposition in 2007.
Keir Starmer and Anas Sarwar must take their share of responsibility, but the story of decline goes back further.
My daughter was just a baby when the SNP kicked Scottish Labour out of power. Next weekend, she turns 20. I have spent most of her childhood and transition into adulthood serving our communities in public office.
But before entering Parliament, I had a career outside the political bubble. As a chartered town planner and a UK Young Planner of the Year finalist, I spent years working on exciting housing, renewables, and urban regeneration projects. I travelled from Orkney to the Borders, working alongside local councils, businesses, and grassroots communities to build real things that improved people’s lives.
Coming into politics as an outsider gives me a different perspective. Real leadership isn’t about who is most popular in the tearoom.
It is about having the vision, the discipline and the guts to build a movement that can lead, inspire, and transform Scotland. To turn this party around and win back the trust of the Scottish people, I am setting out five core principles. I will throw open the doors and build a bigger tent where every member is valued, old friends are welcomed back, and new activists are empowered to shape our policy.
We must put workers and working-class communities back at the heart of our party. That means properly valuing everyone who contributes to our society, whether through paid employment, grassroots volunteering, or unpaid caregiving.
Scottish Labour must be this country’s biggest champion and an uncompromising agitator for the best deal for Scots – I am ready to stand up and challenge anyone, whenever Scotland’s interests demand it.
We will earn the peoples’ trust at the ballot box by fearlessly and relentlessly fighting their corners.
Strong, well-funded public services are not a luxury; they are the essential foundation required to lift people out of poverty and grow an economy. The SNP’s cuts agenda is a political choice, but we will make a different choice. True leadership sets a high ambition and empowers others to deliver it.
As the longest-serving Scottish Labour politician in this contest, I have proven I possess the experience, big ideas and the skill to get the policy details right. Across 10 years in Parliament, I’ve delivered real, transformative change, including passing landmark legislation like my period poverty bill. I want my colleagues to achieve their own bills, negotiate budget wins and become known as trusted leaders.
As we enter the final week of nominations, I make a direct challenge to our MPs and MSPs.
We cannot act like a private club for parliamentarians alone.
Our real strength, weight and power lies with our grassroots activists, our affiliated trade unions, our councillors, and the working-class communities we were built to serve.
If we attempt to rebuild from the top down, we will fail again. But if we embrace a radical overhaul from the ground up, there is no limit to what we can achieve. Together, we can reignite the socialist heart of our movement, and deliver the transformative Scottish Labour Party the people of Scotland so urgently deserve.