Over half of Labour MSPs get behind Dugdale for leader

Less than 24 hours after announcing that she would stand for Scottish Labour leader, Kezia Dugdale already has the support of the majority of Labour Members of the Scottish Parliament. Ian Murray, Scottish Labour’s only MP in Westminster, is also backing Dugdale.

20 of Labour’s 38 members in Holyrood have signed a statement to say they believe Dugdale is the person best placed to “unite the party”. The statement reads:

“We believe Kezia Dugdale should be the next leader of the Scottish Labour Party.

“We are from different parts of the country and different sections of the Labour movement – but we are all agreed that Kez is the best placed person to unite the party, bring the movement together and lead us in the years ahead.”

The system by which the new leader will be elected has yet to be formalised – a meeting of the Scottish Labour Executive Committee will take place next month when Jim Murphy steps down to agree the rules. Murphy is pushing for a move away from the electoral college system and to adopt One Member One Vote (OMOV), and it is very likely that the nomination process will be changed.

Previously, candidates would need the support of at least one eighth of Scottish Labour Parliamentarians, across at least two of the three parliaments: Holyrood, Westminster and the European Parliament. However, Labour now have only one Westminster MP and two MEPs, meaning this is likely to change.

Dugdale responded to the support, saying:

“I am proud to have already won the support of so many Labour colleagues in the Scottish Parliament.

“The geographical spread of support I have – with MSPs from north and south, east and west – as well as the backing of MSPs from different parts of our movement shows I can bring our Party together.

“Regaining the trust of the people of Scotland won’t happen overnight. There is no short-term fix to Labour’s long-term problems that have been years in the making. I have made it clear to colleagues that if elected leader I plan to do the job for many years to come. That so many have supported me shows a clear understanding of the challenge we face.”

The full list of MSPs supporting Dugdale can be seen below. Notably, it includes formal leadership candidates Sarah Boyack and Neil Findlay, as well as former Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray.

Richard Baker MSP
Jayne Baxter MSP
Claudia Beamish MSP
Sarah Boyack MSP
Malcolm Chisholm MSP
Patricia Ferguson MSP
Neil Findlay MSP
Rhoda Grant MSP
Iain Gray MSP
Mark Griffin MSP
Cara Hilton MSP
Lewis Macdonald MSP
Jenny Marra MSP
Paul Martin MSP
Elaine Murray MSP
Alex Rowley MSP
Richard Simpson MSP
Drew Smith MSP
Elaine Smith MSP
David Stewart MSP