Watch: Scottish Labour Leadership Interviews with Michael Marra MSP and Joe Fagan MSP

LabourList, in partnership with Cavendish Consulting, has interviewed Scottish Labour leadership candidates Michael Marra MSP and Joe Fagan MSP about their campaigns for the party leadership.

LabourList editor Emma Burnell sat down with both candidates in Edinburgh this month to discuss their analysis of the recent Scottish Parliament elections, what went wrong for Labour in Scotland and the direction they believe the party should take in the future.

READ MORE: Labour Party Conference 2026: Full LabourList events programme, revealed

Marra is the North East Scotland MSP and was first elected to Holyrood in 2021. He previously held the education and skills brief and was re-elected as a regional MSP for North East Scotland at May’s Holyrood election.

Fagan was elected as an MSP for the first time in May. He is the MSP for South Scotland and secured the nominations required to progress to the ballot alongside Marra.

The two candidates are now contesting the leadership following Anas Sarwar’s resignation.

Become a friend of LabourList and join our community. Our friends support our vital non-factional work and get access to exclusive content and events. 

In separate exclusive interviews, Marra and Fagan set out their views on how they would lead the Scottish Labour Party and their priorities for its future.

LabourList thanks Cavendish Consulting for its support in arranging the interviews.

Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of Labour news, analysis and comment– and follow us on TikTok, Bluesky, WhatsApp, X and Facebook. You can also write to our editor to share your thoughts on our stories and share your own. The best letters are published every Sunday.

• • SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at [email protected].
  • SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
  • BECOME A FRIEND: If you enjoyed this, why not consider becoming a Friend of LabourList? Help sustain our journalism, and of course Friends do get benefits…
  • PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or projects, email [email protected].
  • ADVERTISE: If your organisation would like to advertise or run sponsored pieces on LabourList‘s daily newsletter or website, contact our exclusive ad partners Total Politics at [email protected].