Scottish Labour MP Brian Leishman called for the resignations of party leader Anas Sarwar and deputy Jackie Baillie following a poor election performance.
The demand for new leadership comes as the party faces a crisis of identity and electoral viability in Scotland. The results suggest a significant disconnect between the party's current leadership and the electorate, potentially threatening Labour's long-term influence in the region.
The calls for resignation follow the Scottish Parliament election held on May 6, 2024 [1]. According to reported results, Scottish Labour won 17 seats [1], marking its worst performance since the start of the devolution era [3]. This outcome left the party in a joint second-place tie with Reform UK [1].
Leishman criticized the internal culture of the organization during his call for change. "There is a ‘cult of personality’ in the Scottish Labour party," Leishman said [4].
The decline to 17 seats [1] represents a historic low for the party in Holyrood. Critics argue that the leadership failed to mobilize voters or provide a compelling alternative to other parties, leading to the current stalemate with Reform UK [1].
While Sarwar and Baillie have led the party through a period of significant political volatility, the electoral data indicates a failure to regain the ground lost in previous cycles. The internal pressure from MPs like Leishman suggests that the dissatisfaction with the current strategy extends beyond the voting public and into the party's own legislative ranks.
“"There is a ‘cult of personality’ in the Scottish Labour party."”
The call for resignation by a sitting MP highlights a deepening rift within Scottish Labour. By tying for second place with Reform UK, the party has lost its status as the primary challenger to the dominant political forces in Scotland, signaling that the current leadership's strategy has failed to stop the party's electoral decline in the devolution era.
