Kezia Dugdale, the new leader of Scottish Labour
Scotland’s opposition Labour party elected Kezia Dugdale as its new leader this week.
Her prececessor Jim Murphy resigned in June after Labour lost 40 of its 41 Scottish seats in the UK general elections. Ms Ms Dugdale received 72.1% of the vote, defeating Ken Macintosh who got 27.9% of the vote. Alex Rowley MSP was elected deputy leader.
Ms Dugdale — the youngest Scottish Labour leader at age 33, and the third woman to take the role — said she will now work “night and day” to try and restore Labour’s position in Scottish politics.
In a statement to voters, she tried to appeal to Labour’s lost supporters: “Take another look at the Scottish Labour party. I am not so presumptuous to ask instantly for your vote. But at the recent election 700,000 of you stuck with us but many chose someone else. All I ask is that you take a fresh look at the Scottish Labour party under my leadership.”
Harriet Harman, who is acting leader of the national party while the leadership elections for the national party are underway, welcomed the election of Ms Dugdale and her deputy: “They will be leading the historic task of rebuilding our Party in Scotland, reconnecting Labour with the people of Scotland and re-energising the links between our party in Scotland, Wales and England, and I know they will lead the party in Scotland forward with energy and commitment to Labour values and principles and will have the full support of the whole of the Labour Party.”
Derek Mackay from the Scottish National Party said a change of leadership won’t fix “the deep, deep problems which the Labour Party in Scotland now faces”.
During the election campaign, Ms Dugdale criticised the length of time it was taking to select a new national party leader, both for UK Labour and for the Scottish party, and expressed the concern that UK candidate Jeremy Corbyn would not be electable as Prime Minister.