Exclusive:Ex-first minister's warning to Scottish Labour amid bitter infighting
Henry McLeish said the party should ‘get the hell out of any personality conflicts’
A former Labour first minister has warned his party against the "enormous" damage caused by factional infighting as it elects a new leader in Scotland.
Henry McLeish also said Scottish Labour should "re-examine" its relationship with the UK party, but rejected the idea of breaking away entirely.
Three MSPs have put themselves forward to replace Anas Sarwar, who resigned as leader last month to head to the House of Lords and take up a ministerial role in Andy Burnham’s government.
Michael Marra and Joe Fagan have secured enough nominations among their colleagues to make it on to the ballot, but Monica Lennon, the only female hopeful, is struggling. She previously said the contest “reeks of misogyny and male entitlement”.
Ms Lennon also suggested Labour was operating like a “private members’ club, placing personal and factional ties above principles and the country”.
Despite his support among parliamentary colleagues, it is not clear whether Mr Marra will be able to secure the required trade union backing.
READ MORE: Monica Lennon: Scottish Labour leadership contest 'reeks of misogyny and male entitlement'
Speaking to The Scotsman, Mr McLeish was critical of Mr Sarwar’s decision to go to the Lords. "It didn't make for good reading, and I think it was quite a surprise for many people,” he said.
"Look, I have nothing against personal ambition. We need ambition in politics and he may have felt that in the aftermath of the election it was time to move on.
"The Lords didn't seem to me a particularly positive idea, but nevertheless he's now in London, he's now got a position in government, and he's a very talented person. He'll be a loss to Scotland, in my view.
"But on the other hand, we've now got to face up to the fact that a new leader has got to be selected.
"This will be a leader upon which vast importance will be placed, because we've had our battles, we've lost in recent times, but on the other hand, there is a bright light, in my view, shining at Westminster.
"We'll see what transpires. And that should give an indication to Scotland - let's get back to policy and get the hell out of any personality conflicts which do enormous damage to the party and do no good."
Mr McLeish, who was first minister from 2000 to 2001, said he believed a “bigger, better future” lies ahead for Scottish Labour, and praised Mr Burnham’s first few weeks as Prime Minister.
"Burnham will be an asset in terms of devolution, in terms of some of the big issues like social care which are being neglected in Scotland,” he said.
"But it's also, I think, important that the Labour Party in Scotland is now to weaken the gravitational pull of UK Labour and Westminster. We should have distinctive policy ideas. We should have an independence of thought which is different from Westminster.”
He added: "I think there is a case for Scotland to be a sister party of the party in London. That's got to be looked at carefully.
"I think the party could - not break away, that would be, I think, in my view, ridiculous - but it's got to re-establish or re-examine the relationship they currently have."
Mr McLeish continued: "It would be a big idea to try and break away from the party. I don't think that's necessary, and I think with Burnham there is a new opportunity to rebrand the party in Scotland, to re-establish links, but as I've said, keep a considerable policy difference where we disagree, and not be overawed by thinking we're out of step with London."
The Holyrood election result, in which Labour won just 17 MSPs compared to the SNP’s 58, has sparked a period of intense soul-searching within the party, which started the campaign determined to form the next government.
Ms Lennon previously backed the idea of splitting from UK Labour, but has since shifted away from this.
Mr McLeish said Scotland is currently “stalled” and there are "vast" opportunities for Labour, particularly when it comes to championing further devolution, electoral reform and bolder policy ideas.
He argued support for Reform UK has peaked, while the Conservatives are "struggling to survive" and the SNP has "run out of steam".
"Labour must have a policy focus, not a personality focus,” Mr McLeish said. “We've had too much of that in the past. It's not good for politics, it's not good for the party."
He added: "What the party mustn't do is to get involved in distractions, in personal animosity, personal views between individuals about one policy or another.
"This would be an extravagance that the party can't afford, nor should it."
He continued: "For any kind of potential candidate or any faction of the party to get involved in any personality conflicts would be a tragedy.
"It would be a waste of a new opportunity that Burnham and the SNP are offering to Labour at the present time."
The deadline for Scottish Labour leadership nominations is August 17, with the new leader set to be announced on September 19 if more than one candidate is confirmed and a contest goes ahead, as expected.
In order to get on the ballot, all three leadership hopefuls need the support of two other MSPs, as well as three MPs, two trade unions and a Constituency Labour Party or “affiliate”.
"I believe that at a difficult time for the Labour Party in Scotland there is a bigger, better future ahead,” Mr McLeish said.
"But that will depend partly on the outcome of the leadership campaign but also how Labour views its position in Scotland as we look towards the future."
On Friday, Ms Lennon hit out at the state of the party in a post on social media.
“After 19 years of opposition and six Holyrood election defeats, Scottish Labour has turned to rubble,” she wrote.
“We need time and space to get this right before we lose more members and activists and there’s no one left to lead.”
Since the opening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, the number of Labour MSPs has dropped at every election.
The party has gone from leading a government coalition in the early years of Holyrood with 56 seats, to languishing in opposition.
Mr Marra has argued Scottish Labour must rediscover its sense of moral purpose.
“Scotland’s historic party of progress keeps going backwards at Holyrood,” he said. “We have never increased our seat tally at a Scottish Parliament election. That has to change.”
Meanwhile, Mr Fagan previously insisted “continuity will not cut it”, adding: “Scottish Labour needs to seize this municipal moment, build local power and local wealth, and prove again that we are on people’s side.”
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