Who can rebuild Scottish Labour?

As the Commonwealth Games begin in Glasgow, Scottish Labour politicians are lining up on a different starting line, waiting for the race to be the party’s next leader to get underway. With a review of the last election ongoing and questions about the party’s future at play, the election is set to be one of the most hotly contested in many years.

For Scottish Labour, this contest could well turn into a much more existential debate. The party has lost votes and seats in the Scottish Parliament at every election since devolution began. The question for any potential new leader will be what can they offer to turn around more than two decades of decline and rebuild trust with Scottish voters.

The contest will also add fuel to the fire in the debate around whether Scottish Labour should split from the UK-wide party. Michael Marra, the favourite to win, has spoken of the need for “big changes” after the election defeat, while Monica Lennon – set to return to Holyrood after Sarwar’s resignation – has been a proponent of such a split for many years. However, polling suggests that such a move may not prove as fruitful as some campaigners hope for.

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Although no candidate has officially entered the contest, Lennon, Marra and Paul Sweeney are all in contention. Reporting by The Courier suggests that the stage could be set for a head-to-head contest against Marra to prevent his victory. A Labour insider told the paper: “If it’s a competition between Michael and Paul, Michael wins. But if it’s a competition between Michael and Monica, Monica wins.”

How soon might the starting gun on the contest be fired? We may know the answer to that very soon, as LabourList understands the Scottish Executive Committee may meet this evening to determine the timetable for an election. One source told us that the timetable could resemble that of 2021, when a new leader was elected in the space of six weeks. If that ends up being the case, say goodbye to a politics-free summer…

At a time when the SNP’s star was waning among Scots, May was a missed opportunity to boot them from power. This election will no doubt set the mood music for who will be seen to carry the can for that defeat: Sarwar or Starmer.

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