Labour MP Martin McCluskey has said Michael Marra has “what it takes” to bring Scottish Labour together after being elected the party’s new leader.
McCluskey, the MP for Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West, was in Edinburgh for the result and welcomed Marra’s victory, saying the new leader now faced the task of uniting the party and rebuilding support across Scotland.
He said:
“Great to be in Edinburgh earlier to watch @michaeljmarra become Scottish Labour’s new leader. I know Michael has what it takes to pull our party together in the weeks and months ahead.”
Marra won the leadership contest with 63.2% of the vote, defeating Joe Fagan after a campaign that followed Anas Sarwar’s resignation earlier this summer.
McCluskey praises wider leadership field
McCluskey also paid tribute to Fagan and Monica Lennon, saying both still had an important role to play in Scottish Labour’s future.
He said:
“Commiserations to @JoeJFagan and @MonicaLennon7 - they have a big part to play in our future.”
Lennon had initially sought to enter the contest but did not make the final ballot, while Fagan went through to the membership vote against Marra. Scottish Labour’s official nomination records show that both candidates attracted backing from MPs, MSPs, trade unions and constituency parties.
Strong parliamentary backing for Marra
Marra entered the contest with substantial support from Labour parliamentarians, including McCluskey himself, as well as Graeme Downie, Ian Murray, Michael Shanks, Patricia Ferguson and Kirsty McNeill.
He also secured nominations from ASLEF, Community, the NUM, Scottish Labour Students and Scottish Young Labour.
That broad support helped establish Marra as the leading candidate before members and affiliated supporters cast their ballots between 28 August and 17 September.
Rebuilding after difficult Holyrood result
Marra takes over following Scottish Labour’s difficult showing at the May Holyrood election, where the party returned 17 MSPs.
In his victory speech, Marra said Labour needed to reconnect with working-class communities and rediscover what he called its “moral purpose”. He has also pledged to sharpen the party’s offer on jobs, energy, public services and economic renewal.
McCluskey calls for unity
McCluskey’s intervention reflects the immediate challenge facing the new leader: turning a leadership contest into a united effort to rebuild the party.
His message is that the contest is now over and Scottish Labour should come together behind Marra, while ensuring figures such as Fagan and Lennon remain part of the party’s future.
