Exclusive:Left-wing MSP considering Scottish Labour leadership bid

Katy Clark is understood to be actively considering running to replace Anas Sarwar.

She has phoned MP and MSP colleagues to gauge whether she has enough support.

Incoming MSP Monica Lennon and Labour’s shadow finance secretary Michael Marra have so far confirmed their intention to run.

It comes as Scottish Labour announced the timetable for the leadership election.

Two Labour parliamentarians confirmed they had been approached by Baroness Clark about backing her.

One said: “Katy has been making phone calls around to MPs and MSPs.”

A second added: “I have had a phone call from her.”

The Scottish Labour leadership contest was triggered after Mr Sarwar was made a member of the House of Lords and UK Government minister last week.

Holyrood rules state that you cannot be an MSP and peer at the same time.

Baroness Clark - who resigned from the House of Lords in May - recently became deputy presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament.

She lost the 2014 deputy leadership election to Kezia Dugdale.

She was heavily beaten in the individual members and elected members parts of the vote, but won 63.6 per cent of the trade union share.

A Labour source said: “Katy Clark is interested. She stood for the Deputy Leadership in the 2014 election but is suggesting that she did well among the affiliated members and would do so again.

“The problem is that in 2014 the three-tier electoral college was used, with three groups – individual party members, parliamentarians, and affiliated bodies such as trade unions – each making up a third of the electorate.

“With one member one vote there is no way of making a direct comparison, so her claims are a bit overstated.”

Baroness Clark said: “Scottish Labour campaigned for and created the Scottish Parliament because we believed it had the potential to transform lives and communities for the better.

“However, we are failing to provide the leadership needed to ensure the powers of the Parliament are used to maximum effect for the benefit of working class communities.

“Regardless of how many MSPs we have, Scottish Labour must be the party of social and economic justice.

“We cannot continue to define ourselves against our opponents, but instead offer a positive Labour vision which puts economic and social justice at its heart.”

Baroness Clark was MSP for North Ayrshire and Arran between 2005 and 2015. She supported Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party and served as his political secretary.

She was made a member of the House of Lords in 2019 and was a peer for seven years. She took a leave of absence in 2021 after being elected to the Scottish Parliament - and resigned in May. She retains the Baroness Clark of Kilwinning title.

Baroness Clark then served as Labour’s shadow minister for community safety for five years.

Although she would be the most left-wing candidate in the contest, it is understood that some of the Scottish Labour left is backing Ms Lennon.

Ms Lennon stood against Mr Sarwar in the 2021 contest, taking 42 per cent of the vote.

Michael Marra, Scottish Labour’s cabinet secretary for finance, announced hinted that he is also planning to run to replace Mr Sarwar on Monday evening.

Deputy leader Jackie Baillie has ruled herself out of any potential contest, as has Edinburgh Southern MSP Daniel Johnson.

Mr Johnson announced in a social media video on Monday that he was backing Mr Marra for leader.

He said: “Michael has the seriousness and analysis to build on what was good and address the things we got wrong in the Holyrood election.

“He has deep values in the party and his connections reach across the party and our movement. That will be vital.

“But above all else, as someone who knows how to win with Scottish Labour, I will back the person best able to help the party win again, and that person is Michael Marra.

“So I ask members to think about backing Michael Marra too, because he is the best person to take up our party.”

Ms Lennon - still the only candidate to declare for the contest - criticised Sir Keir Starmer for being a “selfish and stubborn” Prime Minister.

Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast, she said: “The party had its worst election result ever and it has been losing seats and votes since 1999.

“That downward trend cannot be ignored.

“There were a lot of reasons for that, but I think the primary reason was Keir Starmer. We couldn’t get a proper hearing on the doorsteps because that’s the first thing people brought up.

“They saw Keir Starmer and saw that his words and actions didn’t match up and there was a deep disappointment from the people who put their trust in Labour in 2024 to get rid of the Tories and change the direction.

"They felt Labour was losing its way. Keir Starmer is deeply unpopular and many behind closed doors were telling him ‘things have to change’.

“A lot of them happened to be women in senior roles, and they were sacked and briefed against.

“Keir Starmer should have read the room, but he was selfish and stubborn and that contaminated people’s view of Scottish Labour.”

The leadership contender also rejected calls for Scottish Labour to breakaway from the UK party on Monday.

UK Government minister Michael Shanks warned against such a move.

He said the party “absolutely doesn't need” a debate over splitting - but he would not back a candidate in the leadership contest.

Responding to a question from The Scotsman, Mr Shanks said: “It’s obviously a really important moment for the Scottish Labour Party.

“I think we have got to come together quickly and review what went wrong in May and build on those lessons quickly before the local elections next year.

“I think the one thing I’d say is what we absolutely don’t need is a widespread debate about whether the Scottish Labour Party should remain part of the UK Labour Party or not.

“That’s exactly the sort of thing I think we should move on from quickly and build back as a party.”