| ||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 50.6% | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
The 2020 Scottish Labour deputy leadership election was triggered on 16 December 2019 following the defeat of Lesley Laird as MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath in the 2019 general election. [1] The result of the Deputy Leadership Election was announced on Twitter on 3 April 2020. [2]
The 2019 United Kingdom general election saw the Scottish National Party (SNP) regain 13 of the 21 seats they lost in 2017. One of those won was Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, the seat of Scottish Labour Deputy Leader and Shadow Scottish Secretary, Lesley Laird. Despite the seat being a gain for the SNP, the new MP, Neale Hanvey sat as an Independent until May 2020 due to an investigation into anti-semitic posts online. [3] [4] [5]
As with the previous leadership election, the election was held under one-person-one-vote from an electorate of members, affiliated supporters and registered supporters.
Leadership candidates needed to be an MP, MSP or MEP, and need the support of at least 15%, or five, of the thirty-two Scottish Labour MPs, MSPs. They will also need nominations from 5% of local parties or three affiliates, including two trade unions, comprising 5% of affiliated membership, to get on the ballot paper.
| 13 January | Nominations open |
| 14 January | Registered supporters applications open |
| 16 January | Registered supporters applications close |
| 19 January | Nominations closed |
| 20 January | Opening of CLP and affiliate nominations. Scottish Labour Party hustings period open. Freeze date for membership and supporter eligibility at 5PM |
| 3 February | Last day for affiliates to send over new and updated affiliated supporter lists |
| 14 February | Close of CLP and affiliate nominations and last day for membership to be in full compliance (including full payment of arrears). |
| 21 February | Voting opens |
| 27 February | Last date for postal ballot reissues |
| 30 March | Last date for email ballot reissues |
| 2 April | Ballot closes (12PM) |
| 3 April | Announcement of results |
Initially Jackie Baillie and fellow MSP Pauline McNeill were planning to run on a platform of job-sharing the role. [7] However, it was found that this would not be possible due to the party's constitution. [8] Pauline McNeill and Baillie subsequently stood separately in the election.
Following the close of nominations on 19 January, Dundee Councillor Michael Marra did not receive sufficient nominations to advance to the next round of the campaign. [9] The same day, McNeill announced that she would also withdraw from the contest, leaving a two way campaign between Baillie and Matt Kerr. [10]
Kerr has been described as left-wing, having strong ties with the trade union movement, and being a supporter of Jeremy Corbyn. [11] Kerr supports the devolution of trade union and employment law, inclusive Constituency Labour Parties (CLP's) that are rooted in communities, open selections, and the creation of an accredited political academy to help develop new political talent. [12]
| Candidate | Political roles | Nominations from MSPs, MPs and Cllrs [13] | Supporting nominations from Constituency Labour Parties [14] | Supporting nominations from affiliated Trade Unions, Groups and Socialist Societies [14] | Endorsements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackie Baillie [10] | MSP for Dumbarton (since 1999) | 60 Nominations
| 40 Nominations
| 8 Nominations
| Endorsements |
| Matt Kerr [10] | Councillor for Cardonald (previously Craigton) (since 2007) | 33 Nominations [15]
| 26 Nominations
| 8 Nominations
| Endorsements
|
†CLPs not nominating any candidate:
The following seven constituencies remain unaccounted for:
| Candidate | Party members | Registered supporters | Affiliated supporters | Total [20] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | |||
| Jackie Baillie | 7,735 | 58.9% | 323 | 77.6% | 2,253 | 52.5% | 10,311 | 57.8% | ||
| Matt Kerr | 5,398 | 41.1% | 93 | 22.4% | 2,037 | 47.5% | 7,528 | 42.2% | ||
Dame Jacqueline Marie Baillie is a politician who has served as Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party since 2020. She has been Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Dumbarton constituency since 1999. She also served as acting Leader of the Scottish Labour Party in 2017 and again in 2021.
Scottish Labour, officially the Scottish Labour Party, is the part of the UK Labour Party active in Scotland. Ideologically social democratic and unionist, it holds 22 of 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament and 2 of 59 Scottish seats in the House of Commons. It is represented by 262 of the 1,227 local councillors across Scotland. The Scottish Labour party has no separate Chief Whip at Westminster.
James Anthony Kelly is a Scottish politician who has served as General Secretary of the Scottish Labour Party since 2021. He was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Glasgow region between 2016 and 2021, having previously been MSP for Rutherglen from 2007 to 2016.
The 2008 Scottish Labour Party leadership election was an internal party election to choose a new leader of the Labour Party in the Scottish Parliament, and was triggered following the resignation of Wendy Alexander following a row over donations to her own leadership campaign in 2007. Iain Gray won the contest and was announced as leader on 13 September 2008.
Anas Sarwar is a British politician who has served as Leader of the Scottish Labour Party since 2021. He has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Glasgow region since 2016, having been Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow Central from 2010 to 2015.
The 2011 Scottish Labour Party leadership election was an internal party election to choose a new leader of the Scottish Labour Party. The election followed the announcement by Iain Gray that he would stand down as leader in the autumn of 2011 following the party's heavy defeat to the Scottish National Party in May's Scottish Parliament general election. Gray won the previous contest in September 2008.
Kezia Alexandra Ross Dugdale is a Scottish former politician who served as Leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 2015 to 2017. A former member of the Scottish Labour Party and Co-operative Party, she was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Lothian region from 2011 to 2019.
Claudia Hamilton Beamish is a Scottish Labour Co-operative politician who served as Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the South Scotland region from 2011 to 2021.
The 2014 Scottish National Party leadership election was held to choose the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and First Minister of Scotland, following the resignation of Alex Salmond as first minister and leader. Nicola Sturgeon emerged as the only candidate and was elected unopposed as leader of the SNP.
The 2014 Scottish Labour Party leadership election was an internal party election to choose a new leader and deputy leader of the Scottish Labour Party, following the resignations of Johann Lamont as leader and Anas Sarwar as deputy. Lamont announced her decision in an interview with the Daily Record on 24 October, saying that she was stepping down effective immediately because the UK Labour Party treated the Scottish party as a "branch office of London". Lamont, who had won the 2011 leadership contest, thus becoming the first Scottish leader to have authority over Labour's Scottish MPs in the House of Commons as well as in the Scottish Parliament, was the second leader of a Scottish political party to resign in the wake of the 2014 independence referendum. Before her resignation, Alex Salmond announced his intention to relinquish the role of Scottish National Party (SNP) leader and First Minister. Sarwar announced his own resignation on 30 October, saying he felt it was right for the party to elect a new leadership team.
Kirsten Frances Oswald is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician first elected as the Member of the UK Parliament (MP) for East Renfrewshire in 2015; she was unseated at the 2017 snap election but subsequently re-elected at the 2019 election. She served as the deputy leader of the SNP parliamentary party from 2020 to 2022.
The 2015 Scottish Labour Party leadership election was formally triggered on 16 May 2015 by the resignation of Jim Murphy as Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, which took effect on 13 June 2015, following the party's defeat at the 2015 general election. A new leader and deputy leader would be chosen following the resignations of Jim Murphy and Kezia Dugdale. In the meantime, former Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray took over as acting leader. On 15 August, Dugdale was elected to lead the party, while Alex Rowley was chosen to become her deputy.
Richard Leonard is a British politician who served as Leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 2017 to 2021. He has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP), as one of the additional members for the Central Scotland region, since 2016. He ideologically identifies as a socialist, democrat and internationalist.
Monica Lennon is a Scottish politician who has served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Central Scotland region since 2016. A member of the Scottish Labour Party, she has served in various roles on the Scottish Labour front bench. She was the Scottish Labour Spokesperson for Health and Sport from 2018 to 2021, Scottish Labour Spokesperson for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work from March 2021 to June 2021 and Scottish Labour Spokesperson for Net Zero, Energy and Transport from June 2021 to November 2021. She was a candidate in the 2021 Scottish Labour leadership election and currently serves on the Scottish Parliament's Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee.
Lesley Margaret Laird is a Scottish politician who served as Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 2017 to 2019. She was Member of Parliament (MP) for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath from 2017 to 2019, and Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland during the same period. Laird was a Member of Fife Council from 2012 to 2018 and served as the Deputy Leader of the Council.
The 2017 Scottish Labour Party leadership election was triggered on 29 August 2017 by the resignation of Kezia Dugdale as leader of the Scottish Labour Party, having led the party for two years. MSP Jackie Baillie was acting interim leader for the last week of the election after Alex Rowley, the original interim leader, was suspended from the party over allegations of a criminal nature.
The February 2020 Scottish Conservative Party leadership election was the fourth internal party election to elect the next leader of the Scottish Conservatives, part of the British Conservative Party and the second-largest political party in the devolved Scottish Parliament. Ruth Davidson, who won the previous leadership election in 2011, resigned on 29 August 2019. Two candidates contested the election: Jackson Carlaw MSP, who served as the Scottish Conservatives' interim leader, and Michelle Ballantyne MSP. Carlaw was seen as the favourite in the contest, and won the endorsement of most of the party's MSPs and MPs. Carlaw won the election on 14 February 2020, winning more than three-quarters of the votes of party members.
The August 2020 Scottish Conservative Party leadership election was the fifth internal party election to elect the next leader of the Scottish Conservatives, part of the British Conservative Party and the second-largest political party in the devolved Scottish Parliament.
The 2021 Scottish Labour leadership election was triggered on 14 January 2021 by the resignation of Richard Leonard as leader of the Scottish Labour Party, who had led the party since 2017. Two candidates were nominated, Anas Sarwar and Monica Lennon.
The 2021 Airdrie and Shotts by-election was held in the UK parliament constituency of Airdrie and Shotts following the resignation of the sitting member (MP), Neil Gray, to run for the corresponding seat in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. This was necessitated by Scottish National Party (SNP) rules banning its members from sitting as an MSP and an MP at the same time. It took place on 13 May 2021, a week after the Scottish Parliament elections, to reduce COVID-19 transmission risk.
2020 United Kingdom party leadership elections | ||
|---|---|---|
February: Scottish Conservative April: Labour (deputy), Scottish Labour deputy August: Scottish Conservative, Liberal Democrats, Green |  | |
