Labour MPs and MSPs accused of blocking left candidate Monica Lennon from Scottish Labour leadership ballot
Monica Lennon has failed to secure enough parliamentary support to run in the contest
Scottish Labour MPs and Members of Scottish Parliament (MSPs) have been accused of blocking left-wing candidate Monica Lennon from standing in the Scottish Labour leadership election.
Lennon secured nominations from 11 organisations affiliated to Labour, including the two largest UK trade unions – Unison and Unite.
Mainstream, the centre-left Andy Burnham backed group, also threw their support behind Lennon.
She was also nominated by Katy Clark MSP and MPs Brian Leishman and Euan Stainbank,
However, she fell short of getting the backing of three MPs and three MSPs needed when nominations closed at 10am this morning.
Candidates were required to obtain at least three nominations from organisations affiliated to Labour, and three nominations each from Scottish MPs and MSPs.
This means that Lennon, who was regarded as the more left-wing candidate, will not progress, while Michael Marra and Joe Fagan have secured the necessary nominations to run.
It also means that the contest will be all-male, which Scottish Labour women raised concerns about over the weekend and issued a last-minute plea to get Lennon on the ballot ahead of the nomination deadline.
Lennon said Scottish Labour is “stuck in the past” after she failed to secure enough nominations to stand in the race triggered by the former Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar stepping down to take up a ministerial role in Burnham’s government.
In a statement, Lennon said: “Scotland’s young people deserve a Scottish Labour Party who will stand up to billionaires and the wealthy elite. Their future is on the line.
“Our planet is burning and hope is fading. Punching down on trans people and other minorities is not acceptable. Do better, lead with decency and act with courage.”
Lennon stood against Sarwar in the 2021 Scottish leadership election, and came second, picking up 42.4% of the vote.
Leishman, the Labour MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, said he was “incredibly disappointed” that Lennon is out of the race.
He said Lennon had “a vision for our party” that was embedded in “real Labour values”, adding that the party membership has “been denied a genuinely broad debate and that is very sad”.
Leishman added: “The trade unions who are essential to our movement have also been denied the robust debate that Scottish Labour must have.
“We have seen so many good people leave the Scottish Labour Party these last few years and a socialist candidate being denied the opportunity to stand for leader is not likely to entice people back.”
An X user commented: “If parliamentarians keep @MonicaLennon7 off the ballot despite her very strong labour movement backing that would narrow and weaken the debate at precisely the time Scottish Labour ought to be facing up to the severity of its problems.”
Voting will open on 28 August, and Scottish Labour members will have until 17 September to cast their ballot. The new Scottish Labour leader will then be announced on 19 September.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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