Lennon criticises ‘nasty’ Scottish Labour as leadership bid fails
Scottish Labour Leadership Race Narrows to Two Candidates After Lennon Misses Threshold
Ninoda.com – MSP Monica Lennon was unable to gather sufficient nominations to enter the Scottish Labour leadership contest, leaving Michael Marra and Joe Fagan as the sole candidates in a month-long race to succeed Anas Sarwar. Party members and affiliated supporters will cast their votes between 28 August and 17 September, with the eventual winner announced on 19 September.
Lennon's Sharp Criticism of Party Culture
Speaking to BBC Scotland News after missing the nomination threshold, Lennon described the party as "quite nasty" and claimed it harboured "a problem when it comes to trans people." She questioned whether any transgender members remained in Scottish Labour, adding:
"They're certainly not voting for us."
Lennon urged the party to demonstrate compassion and respect toward trans people, noting it had finished joint second with Reform in the Holyrood election. In a separate statement she called on the two remaining candidates to "do better" and warned that "punching down on trans people and other minorities is not acceptable."
She also took aim at anonymous briefings circulating during the contest, telling BBC Scotland News:
"If you're going to put yourself forward to be a man who is safeguarding women's rights then think about how you treat the LGBTQ community as well in its entirety."
Lennon insisted she would not be silenced and would remain active in the party. She pointed to attrition among Scottish Labour members, observing:
"Frankly too many people have been pushed out of the Labour Party already in Scotland. That's why we only have 11,000 members."
She wished both candidates well, called for "a battle of ideas," and cautioned against any drift to the right.
The Two Candidates on the Ballot
South Scotland MSP Joe Fagan framed the campaign as extending beyond post-mortem analysis of the party's electoral failure. He stated:
"It is about what Labour does next."
Fagan continued:
"It is about respecting work, backing our communities and giving working people real power over the future, not asking them simply to live with decisions made elsewhere."
North East Scotland MSP Michael Marra described himself as "humbled" to appear on the ballot and expressed hope for a "good spirited and comradely contest." He outlined his vision for the next leader:
"The next leader of Scottish Labour has a huge task: to unite our party, rediscover our soul and reconnect with Scotland."
Marra concluded: "I am the candidate who can do that." He extended commiserations to Lennon, calling her "one of the most formidable and effective campaigners the Labour movement has."
Both candidates have voiced scepticism toward recent Scottish Parliament measures designed to simplify the process by which an individual changes their legally recognised sex. Lennon, by contrast, had supported those reforms.
Context: Sarwar's Departure and the Road Ahead
Anas Sarwar, who had led Scottish Labour since 2021, triggered the contest last month by announcing his intention to step down as both party leader and MSP to join Andy Burnham's government. His decision followed Labour's worst-ever Holyrood election performance.
Sarwar declined to endorse either candidate during an Edinburgh Fringe event earlier this month but warned the contenders and their teams against infighting. Since his departure, Dame Jackie Baillie has served as acting leader.
No by-election will be held for Sarwar's Holyrood seat because he was elected via the regional list. Under rules introduced last year, politicians may no longer sit simultaneously at Westminster and Holyrood. Monica Lennon, who spent a decade in the Scottish Parliament but was not re-elected in May, is next in line on the Glasgow regional list and would fill the vacancy.
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