Picture copyright Getty Photographs
Picture copyright
Getty Photographs
Mr Leonard was elected as Scottish Labour chief three years in the past
The chief of Scottish Labour is to face a vote of no confidence at a gathering of the get together’s governing physique.
A movement has been submitted to the get together’s Scottish Government Committee (SEC) asking it specific that it has no confidence in Richard Leonard’s management.
The committee is anticipated to vote on the movement on Saturday morning.
Mr Leonard is already going through calls to stop from a few of his personal MSPs – however says he has no intention of doing so.
It’s understood that the movement to the SEC has been signed by a 3rd of its members – which means it’ll go to a vote of the total committee.
The committee is made up elected representatives in addition to commerce union officers and representatives of the get together’s grassroots membership.
Mr Leonard mentioned that most of the SEC members who had signed the movement had been “not mandated by their organisations to vote in that method”.
And he mentioned the very last thing Labour supporters and potential voters wished to see was the get together “handing over on itself”.
He mentioned the transfer to oust him was “totally factional”, including: “They don’t have anything to say or supply, no concepts, no plan to guard jobs and residing requirements in opposition to the backdrop of the Covid disaster.”
It comes after 4 Scottish Labour MSPs – James Kelly, Daniel Johnson, Jenny Marra and Mark Griffin – publicly referred to as for Mr Leonard to resign earlier this month.
They’ve claimed that the get together faces “catastrophe” at subsequent yr’s Scottish Parliament election if he stays in his publish.
Mr Leonard, who was a detailed ally of former UK Labour chief Jeremy Corbyn, nonetheless enjoys the assist of many on the left of the get together.
However his critics level to the get together’s dismal opinion ballot scores as proof that change is required.
Scottish Labour is at the moment the third largest within the Scottish Parliament, behind the SNP and Conservatives, and misplaced all however one in all its MPs in final yr’s basic election.