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Who could be the new Scottish Labour leader?

The Scottish Labour party currently has 17 MSP's
The Scottish Labour party currently has 17 MSP's

The party are still reeling from their worst Holyrood election result in Scottish Parliament history.

With Anas Sarwar set for Westminster, Scottish Labour are all but certainly going to be on the hunt for a new leader.

The party is still reeling from their worst Holyrood election result in Scottish Parliament history, returning just 17 of the 129 seats available.

No contest has been announced yet, but who could be in the running?

Dame Jackie Baillie

Dame Jackie Baillie will become acting leader - but will she make it more permanent?
Dame Jackie Baillie will become acting leader - but will she make it more permanent?

When Sarwar steps down, it is expected that his deputy Dame Jackie Baillie will step in as acting leader, as she has done three times in the past.

Baillie is a Holyrood stalwart. She is one of only two MSP's - alongside John Swinney - to serve continuously in the Scottish Parliament since its inception in 1999.

She is a popular figure in the party and there will be no doubt calls for her to stand for the job.

But this is a request she has resisted in the past, saying she was "content to be the supporting act".

Before politics, the Hong Kong-born MSP worked in both the public and voluntary sectors.

Michael Marra

Michael Marra is seen as the "obvious successor"
Michael Marra is seen as the "obvious successor"

BBC Scotland's political correspondent David Wallace Lockhart says Michael Marra is seen by many in the party as the "obvious successor" to Sarwar.

Marra has been an MSP for the North East since 2021 and like Sarwar, comes from a Labour family.

His sister Jenny was an MSP for a decade. It was her seat that Marra was elected to.

He previously worked for Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray as an adviser prior to and during the 2011 Scottish Parliamentary election.

Marra has placed himself within the "soft left" of the Labour party and played a key role writing Scottish Labour's 2026 election manifesto.

He shares a name with his uncle, singer Michael Marra, and is a Dundee United fan.

Monica Lennon

Could Monica Lennon be thrust back into Holyrood and Labour leadership?
Could Monica Lennon be thrust back into Holyrood and Labour leadership?

Monica Lennon was first elected as an MSP for the Central Scotland area in 2016.

She is a proven campaigner, having spearheaded legislation that made Scotland the first country in the world to provide free period products for all and in the last parliamentary session she campaigned for an ecocide bill.

There is one obvious barrier in her way to becoming party leader however. She is not currently an MSP or MP.

Lennon lost her seat in this year's Holyrood election but when Sarwar stands down she is expected to be offered his seat, as she is next on the Scottish Labour list.

The question of whether this will happen in time to make her a contender remains.

Last month, Lennon said that Scottish Labour breaking away from the UK party should not be ruled out.

She is a vegetarian and has a fear of cats.

Daniel Johnson

Edinburgh MSP Daniel Johnson is viewed as an outsider
Edinburgh MSP Daniel Johnson is viewed as an outsider

Edinburgh Southern MSP Daniel Johnson has a degree in management, but has this prepared him for the role of leader of the Scottish Labour party?

He would be seen as an outsider to the role, according to BBC Scotland's David Wallace Lockhart.

He has served multiple roles in Scottish Labour's shadow cabinet including his current role as shadow secretary for economy, business and fair work.

It was Johnson who nominated Sarwar to become leader in 2021.

In 2013, at the age of 35, he was diagnosed with ADHD which he has previously described as a "eureka" moment.

Paul Sweeney

Paul Sweeney is a keen campaigner in the party
Paul Sweeney is a keen campaigner in the party

Paul Sweeney MSP is a lifelong Labour activist.

He has represented the Glasgow region in the Scottish Parliament since 2021 and previously served as MP for Glasgow North East from 2017 to 2019.

After losing his Westminster seat, he spoke about being unemployed for the first time and having to apply for universal credit during the coronavirus lockdown.

He is keen campaigner on issues such as shipbuilding, coming from a family of shipbuilders, and has described himself as a "bit of a geek" for Glasgow's traditional architecture.

Read full story on BBC

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