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A grassroots campaign demanding the resignation of the Labor leader in Scotland, as well as an explosive vote of no confidence by his ruling body, are being crafted by party members seeking to topple him before next year’s crucial elections.
Last-minute measures are being considered after a series of resignations and calls to his departure last week failed to remove Richard Leonard. He reiterated his refusal to resign in a defiant statement Sunday, saying that attempts to topple him “only served to strengthen my own resolve.”
It comes with Labor still languishing in third place in the polls ahead of the Holyrood election next May, with the SNP currently on track to win more than half of all votes. Labor is expected to lose several MSPs, while polls have also suggested that Leonard remains largely unknown to many voters. A group from MSP called him to come last week.
Anas Sarwar, the former Scottish Labor director, is seen as the most likely replacement, possibly with fellow MSP Jackie Baillie acting as leader for May’s election.
Some of those pushing for Leonard’s departure believe that the attempt to oust him will fail unless the Labor Party MSPs launch a formal leadership challenge against him this week. Others want to foster a grassroots campaign of Labor councilors and members calling for his departure as the next step.
Taking a vote of no confidence on your leadership within the governing executive committee of the Scottish Labor Party is seen as the last step. It is also highly unpredictable, as feelings about Leonard’s leadership within the committee are finely balanced. An executive committee vote was used to remove Jim Murphy from office in 2015. Murphy won the vote by a narrow margin, but subsequently resigned anyway. The opinion of the unions, who have several seats on the committee, would be crucial.
While some unions have come out in support of Leonard, others, including their own GMB union, have been silent on the question of his future. A meeting of the GMB executive ended on Friday without any public statement of support. However, a refusal by the unions to vote in any vote of confidence could ultimately ensure that Leonard survives.
“The only way to bring about change is whether it comes from the MSP Labor group or the party’s Scottish executive,” said a senior figure. “I have understood that [his opponents] I still don’t have a majority. “
Leonard said on Sunday: “The events of the last week have only served to strengthen my own resolve and reinforce the confidence of party members in Scotland that we cannot go back, that we must move forward together in the fight of our lives to every vote and every seat in next year’s elections. “
With no further developments in the coming days, those pushing for Leonard’s departure fear the attempt to replace him will fade. The leading figures in Scottish Labor are torn apart by the current stalemate. While few believe Leonard has performed well on the job, there is division over whether another change at the top would simply mask the much bigger political problems. Most trace the incredible Labor decline in Scotland to the SNP’s victory over a decade ago in the 2007 Holyrood election.
Most believe that the Labor Party has been overwhelmed by the independence debate. His support for more decentralization as a solution has caused him to lose ground to the SNP and the fervent Scottish Tories trade unionists. Figures from across the party also lamented the lack of political talent.
As former Labor Prime Minister Henry McLeish said last week: “We keep changing managers, but nothing changes on the field.” Another senior Scottish Labor figure said: “If you don’t have a vision for the country, you can run all the negative campaigns you want. You can have all the charisma you want. But it should expose what it stands for and give people a little hope. The problems of the Scottish Labor Party run deeper than a single individual. “
