It seemed at one point, like McConnell, that Gray would become a Labour First Minister, with his party ascendant in the polls for much of the time against Salmond's minority SNP administration. Fame Popularity . Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the British Labour Party, gave a speech on his party's economic plans at the City of London's financial centre on Monday. [17], In late September 2015, following a membership boost resulting from the 2015 Labour leadership election, a total of 29,899 people were associated with the party; 18,824 members, 7,790 people affiliated through trade unions and other groups, and 3,285 registered supporters. Tory MSP strangely comfortable in a food bank. [25] On 21 October, Henry McLeish was elected to succeed Dewar, defeating rival Jack McConnell. Others included more autonomy for the Scottish party and the reorganisation of members into branches based on Holyrood constituencies rather than Westminster constituencies. After the death of Donald Dewar, Henry McLeish - Dewar's right-hand man in helping secure devolution - defeated McConnell to become Scottish Labour leader and Scotland's First Minister. Labour lost 40 seats in Scotland and were reduced to a solitary MP north of the border (and it wasn't Jim Murphy). Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland 20152016 and since 2020. Since 2014, Sturgeon has been serving as the leader of the Scottish National Party and first minister of Scotland. Labour leader Keir Starmer will deliver a speech at midday on Sunday. Scottish broadcaster John Charles Walsham Reith, 1st Baron Reith is remembered for introducing the concept of independent public service corporations in Britain. Anas Sarwar has been elected the new leader of Scottish Labour, replacing Richard Leonard who led the party for three years. [31] The SNP also lost seats, though other pro-independence parties made gains. Give Orange. Throughout the later decades of the 20th century and into the first years of the 21st, Labour dominated politics in Scotland; winning the largest share of the vote in Scotland at every UK general election from 1964 to 2010, every European Parliament election from 1984 to 2004 and in the first two elections to the Scottish Parliament in 1999 and 2003. Members, MSPs, MPs and affiliated groups will now need to choose their ninth leader since Holyrood opened for business in 1999. Former MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife (Region) Claudia Beamish. [95] Shortly afterwards, it was reported that Leonard had been pressured into resigning by wealthy donors, who told UK Labour leader Keir Starmer that they would not give money to the Westminster party unless Leonard quit. Scottish Labour. The current deputy leader, having been elected to replace Kirsty Blackman, and also the chairman and business convener of the SNP. Richard Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane was a British philosopher, lawyer, and politician. The SNP-Labour power-sharing agreement in place since 2017 was ruled out in Fife thanks to Scottish Labour leaders Anas Sarwars no formal coalitions line. Share with Friends Add To Playlist. Job in Harefield Ward - England - UK , UB9 6HJ. The party also only won 3 constituency seats: holding onto the Dumbarton and East Lothian constituencies and gaining the Edinburgh Southern constituency from the SNP, whilst losing eleven of its 2011 constituencies to the SNP and two to the Conservatives. Scottish Labour and the Conservatives condemned the SNP's decision to bar the press from a series of hustings where the three candidates will debate their views in front of party members. 9 February -. Renowned for his restless energy, he traveled around the country and proved to be an active king. [26][27] Labour's dominance of Scotland's Westminster seats continued in the 2001 general election, with a small loss of votes but no losses of seats. [90] However, he said he would continue as leader and carry out a listening exercise. Below is the list of Labour target seats for the 2026 Scottish Parliament election. [86][87][88], On 12 December 2019, Scottish Labour returned to having only one seat in Westminster (Edinburgh South). This was the first time since the 1918 general election, 99 years previously, that Labour had finished in third place at any general election in Scotland. [67], Labour's poll ratings in Scotland did not reverse, and the party suffered a landslide defeat in the general election in May 2015, losing 40 of their 41 seats to the SNP. The majority of Brits do not think Nicola Sturgeon was a force for good in Scottish politics, new polling suggests. Lamont had, by party standards, a fairly lengthy time in the leader's office, serving a respectable two years and ten months. Remembered as the key architect of the devolution settlement, he helped produce the Scotland Act upon which Holyrood would be based. She. Jackson Carlaw is a Scottish politician best known for his association with the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party where he served as the leader from February to July 2020. Alastair Denniston was a Scottish code breaker and hockey player. After his demise, a street in Sheung Wan was named after him. I voted Labour in every election from 1983 to 2010. McLeish resigned later that year amid a scandal involving allegations that he sub-let part of his tax-subsidised Westminster constituency office without it having been registered in the register of interests kept in the Parliamentary office, an affair which the press called Officegate. [22] In 1899, the Scottish Trades Union Congress organised the Scottish Workers' Representation Committee, which merged into the Labour Party in 1909, greatly increasing its presence in Scotland. The safe Labour seat has been held by Jeremy Corbyn since. [2] Leaked figures obtained by the Daily Record in February 2022 showed that nearly one third of Scottish Labour members were in favour of another Scottish independence referendum. Then came the Better Together campaign in 2014 and I was repelled, not just by the campaign, but by the Labour Party's role in it. [96][97], On 27 February 2021, former Deputy Leader Anas Sarwar was elected Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, defeating rival Monica Lennon by 57.6% to 42.4% and promised to heal and unite the party. When he did emerge on Wednesday, . Anas Sarwar is the Leader of the Scottish Labour Party. Clement Attlee, 1950. Success is not a concept Scottish Labour have been familiar with over the past 15 years. r/LabourUK Join 7 days ago Labour leads by 27%, the largest lead for Labour since Sunak became PM. The Glasgow MSP takes over less than three months before the next Holyrood elections. BBC Scotland News Richard Leonard has stepped down as Scottish Labour leader after three years in the post. Labour suggested a 5% rise in line with most other local authorities, and the Conservatives plans lay in the middle with a 6% increase. Thanks to his popularity, James is often depicted in historical novels, plays, and short stories. He has also penned novels such as The Blood Brother and non-fiction works such as Brexit Without the Bullshit. The 2021 Scottish Parliament election saw Labour decline even further, achieving their lowest number of seats in Holyrood since devolution in 1999; with 22 MSPs returned to the Scottish Parliament. Parties can choose how these spokespersons are referred to. The leaders of Holyroods five largest parties. She quit the role due to issues around donations her campaign for the leadership had taken, although authorities ultimately took no action against her. By Zoila Palma Gonzalez: Today, Minister of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labour and Local Government, Oscar Requena . [80] Her deputy, Alex Rowley, took over as acting leader until 15 November, when he was suspended from Scottish Labour's parliamentary party while a probe into his conduct took place. Between 1905 and 1912, he served as the Secretary of State for War and was instrumental in implementing a series of reforms of the British Army called The Haldane Reforms. [37] Wendy Alexander emerged as the only candidate to succeed him, and was installed as leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament on 14 September 2007. Dugdale won the 2015 leadership election on 15 August 2015, beating Ken Macintosh. "[56], In the 2012 Scottish local elections, Labour were outpolled by the SNP. He also supported the suffragist revolt organized by activist Emmeline Pankhurst. Born to a hat manufacturer, James Wilson initially wished to study law but later joined his fathers business. One problem was that then-Labour PM Gordon Brown did not seem to agree. A statue was built two years later to commemorate him on Buchanan Street in Glasgow. Matt is also a Scottish Labour activist, and member of Unite. VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Covid origin likely China lab incident - FBI chief, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, Exploring the rigging claims in Nigeria's elections, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip, Ukraine war casts shadow over India's G20 ambitions, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. In his pitch to party members, Mr Sarwar said he wanted to "rebuild Scottish Labour, and then rebuild Scotland". Group Leader Cllr Alison Evison. James II of Scotland reigned as the king of Scotland from 1437 to 1460. List of scottish labour party leaders. [46][47] On 13 September 2008, Gray was elected leader and promised a "fresh start" for Labour in Scotland. [12] The party has declined to reveal its membership figures since 2008, and did not publish the number of votes cast in the leadership elections of 2011 or 2014, only percentages. The office of Leader of the Scottish Labour Party was established when the Scottish Parliament was formed in 1999 and prior to its inaugural election. [98] At the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, Labour lost a further two seats including the constituency seat of East Lothian, bringing their number of MSPs to 22, an all time low. In the late 1980s and 1990s it and its representatives participated in the Scottish Constitutional Convention with the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Scottish Greens, trades unions and churches, and also campaigned for a "Yes-Yes" vote in the 1997 referendum. The 37-year-old was the Glasgow Central MP from 2010 to 2015 and was firmly in the Gordon Brown camp of New Labour. Meet Anas, Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, Meet Ian Murray, MP for Edinburgh South and Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, Meet our Councillors from all over Scotland, Meet the different groups affiliated with the Scottish Labour Party, Promoted by James Kelly, Scottish General Secretary, The Labour Party, 290 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4RE. However, this allowed it to devote significant time to the question of Scottish devolution. In 2018, Mr Sarwar established the Scottish Parliament's cross-party group on tackling Islamophobia. Labour had a net loss of 7 seats to the SNP. [51] However, it easily won the Glasgow North East by-election later that year,[52] which had been triggered by the resignation of House Speaker Michael Martin in the wake of the expenses scandal. Labour also lost control of Glasgow and three other councils where it had a majority. The 2018 Scottish Labour Party deputy leadership election was an internal party election to choose a new deputy leader of the Labour Party in the Scottish Parliament. An explorer at heart, Alexander Burnes joined the East India Company army at 16. Council Leader Cllr Elaine Murray. [19], In January 2018, the total Scottish membership stood at 25,836, however within 12 months it was leaked in January 2019 that this value had fallen by 4,674 to 21,162. View Reports-/5-RATE QUIZ. [76], In the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, Labour lost a third of its seats, dropping from 37 to 24. Mr Sarwar will be the first non-white leader of a major political party in the UK and has spoken in the past about the racism he has experienced as a politician. Report. Labour Party - structure and organisation. The immediate concern for Mr Sarwar is May's Holyrood election where party strategists are hoping the new leader can lift them from third to second place in Scottish politics. Anas Sarwar and his wife Furheen in 2017 - the couple have three children together, Mr Sarwar congratulating Mr Leonard after his victory in 2017 after an acrimonious leadership contest, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. [71] It was the first time since 1959 that the party had not won the most votes in Scotland at a general election. The office of Leader of the Scottish Labour Party was established. The Scottish Labour headquarters is currently at Bath Street, Glasgow. Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric'. [82][83] Nominations for leadership candidates closed on 17 September. After the Glasgow Central seat was won by the SNP's Alison Thewliss in the 2015 general election, Mr Sarwar turned his attention to Holyrood and was elected a list MSP for Glasgow in 2016. Note that the voting system changed from the 1999 election onwards. However, towards the end of the campaign Labour's polling increased to levels around the 24% which it had received in 2015. The boundaries in Scotland were redrawn to reduce the number of Westminster constituencies in Scotland from 72 to 59. All rights reserved. [39] The following day, however, Brown denied this was Labour policy and that Alexander had been misrepresented during Prime Minister's Questions in Westminster. Find out more about Anas now. [69] Many senior party figures were unseated, including Murphy himself (East Renfrewshire), Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander (Paisley and Renfrewshire South) and Shadow Scotland Secretary Margaret Curran (Glasgow East). It was a rancorous campaign and Mr Sarwar faced criticism over his children attending a fee-paying school in Glasgow, with questions also raised over his family's cash-and-carry firm advertising jobs that paid less than the "real" living wage of 8.45 an hour. And then there was this moment from aleaders' debate. Vote for Your Favourite Scottish Leaders 1 William Wallace (Scottish Knight Who Became One of the Main Leaders During the First War of Scottish Independence) 41 19 Birthdate: April 3, 1270 Sun Sign: Aries Birthplace: Elderslie, Renfrewshire, Scotland Died: August 23, 1305 Graham Wallas was one of the co-founders of LSE and taught there from 1895 to his retirement in 1923. 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