Brian Leishman has criticised the outcome of the Scottish Labour leadership nominations after Monica Lennon failed to secure a place on the final ballot.
The Alloa and Grangemouth MP said he was “incredibly disappointed” by Lennon’s elimination and warned that party members and trade unions had been denied the opportunity for a broader debate about Scottish Labour’s future.
The leadership election will now be fought between Michael Marra MSP and Joe Fagan MSP.
In a strongly worded statement published on X, Leishman praised Lennon’s platform and said it represented what he regarded as “real Labour values”.
Leishman said:
“I am incredibly disappointed that Monica did not make the ballot.
“Her vision for our party was what I would call real Labour values. At the hustings last week she spoke about redistribution of power and wealth, and offered solutions to the inequality and poverty that is impacting so many Scots.”
Leishman argued that Lennon’s absence from the ballot would narrow the political debate available to Scottish Labour members during the contest.
He said:
“Our membership has been denied a genuinely broad debate and that is very sad.
“The trade unions who are essential to our movement have also been denied the robust debate that Scottish Labour must have.”
Lennon had positioned herself as the socialist candidate in the contest and received backing from sections of the trade union movement, but failed to secure enough parliamentary nominations to progress to the membership ballot.
Leishman also linked the outcome to the wider challenge facing Scottish Labour in rebuilding its membership and reconnecting with voters.
He said: “We have seen so many good people leave the Scottish Labour Party these last few years and a socialist candidate being denied the opportunity to stand for leader is not likely to entice people back.”
His intervention highlights the internal debate likely to continue within Scottish Labour even as the formal leadership contest moves forward with two candidates.
Marra and Fagan will now compete for the leadership and the task of setting Scottish Labour’s political direction following Anas Sarwar’s departure.
The contest comes at an important moment for the party as it considers how to rebuild its support in Scotland and strengthen its relationship with members, trade unions and communities across the country.
