UK NEWS

SO WHAT NOW FOR LABOUR IN SCOTLAND?

Andy Kerr MSP is one early favourite to succeed Wendy Alexander

Saturday June 28,2008

By Geoff Marsh for scottishdailyexpress.co.uk

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WENDY Alexander’s departure will trigger a leadership contest in the Scottish Labour Party that will be waged over the summer months.

Possible contenders include former Health Minister Andy Kerr, former Communities Minister Margaret Curran and Iain Gray, who was a minister in the first Scottish parliament who lost his seat in 2003 but was returned to parliament as an MSP in 2007.

Technically Ms Alexander’s job has never been leader of the party in Scotland - but “leader of Labour in the Scottish Parliament”.

The party’s procedures committee will meet later this week to agree a timetable for an election.

Any Labour MSP can stand but candidates have to have the support of one eighth of the parliamentary Labour party, making the threshold six.

If only one nominee comes forward the party’s Scottish executive and Labour MSPs will confirm the nominee as the new leader.

If there is to be a contested election all constituency parties, unions and societies, MPs and MEPs can offer “supportive” nominations.

The candidates who can muster the minimum threshold of support from Labour MSPs go forward to a one-member, one-vote postal ballot.

Those entitled to vote in that scenario include all MSPs, MPs and MEPs and all Labour party members in Scotland.

Unions and other bodies would ballot their members on a one-member, one vote-basis. The votes from each of these three categories would be counted and treated as an electoral college, with each of the three sections - parliamentarians, Labour party members and members of unions and societies - receiving equal weighting to count for a third of the overall vote.

Annabel Goldie, Scottish Tory leader, said: “Clearly Wendy Alexander thought long and hard before making this decision but there is no doubt that the challenges facing Labour throughout the UK are awesome.

“She evidently feels that it is time for somebody else to lead the Labour Party in Scotland.

“This resignation is a further body blow for Gordon Brown and Labour, as they lurch from one crisis to another. Only the Scottish Conservatives offer a credible opposition to the SNP in Scotland.

“On a personal level, we hope that, away from the stresses and strains of leadership, Wendy Alexander can find time and peace for herself and her family.”

THE POISONED CHALLICE

29.06.08, 11:22pm

Whoever takes over Labour now in Scotland is never going to become First Minister. Who would want to take up the poisoned challice?

How about:

Des Browne?
Alistair Darling?
Douglas Alexander?

Not interested?

Thought not.

• Posted by: Peter_Pan • Report Comment