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15 Aug 2015

Can Scottish Labour Party leader Kezia Dugdale defeat SNP?

MSPs Kezia Dugdale becomes the new leader of the Scottish Labour Party, beating Holyrood veteran Ken Macintosh.

Crowned as one of Scottish Labour’s rising star, Ms Dugdale has been elected as the new leader of the party just after four years as an MSP.

The 33-year-old MSP for Lothian beat Ken Macintosh by 72 per cent of the vote in a leadership contest that was sparked by the resignation of former MP Jim Murphy shortly after Labour’s catastrophic defeat in Scotland during the general election.

Ms Dugdale was widely tipped to win the contest and had the backing of three-quarters of the party’s Scottish parliamentarians. In her campaign, she pledged to be a “fresh start” for Scotland.

Speaking after the result was announced, Ms Dugdale said: “I know that the past few months have been incredibly difficult for Labour members across the country.

“I know this because I have been out on the doorsteps, I have been there with you. But I have a message for Labour Party members out there knocking their pan in for this party that we all love: we are down but we are not out.”

Alex Rowley will be the party’s new deputy leader in Scotland after beating Gordon Matheson 55 per cent to 45 per cent.

Together they now face a tough job trying to win round former Labour supporters who voted for the SNP in the general election.

Labour suffered its worst election defeat to the Scottish National Party (SNP) in May, with Nicola Sturgeon’s party winning a historic 56 of the 59 Scottish seats in the House of Commons.

Labour has also lost the last two Holyrood elections to the SNP. However, Ms Dugdale is keen to turn around the party’s image in Scotland and “renew faith” in Labour.

She said: “I will work night and day over the coming weeks and months to make you proud, to honour that trust that you have put in me today, to give you some hope, to renew your faith in our abilities to transform the communities that we seek to serve.

“And I have a message for the people of Scotland too: take another look at the Scottish Labour Party.”

She faces her first big test in the Scottish Parliament election in May where the SNP is seeking a third term in office.