Who will be the next Scottish Labour leader? The runners and riders to replace Anas Sarwar

Mr Sarwar has been in charge of the party since 2021, and his time as leader has been marked by great successes and great failures.

He boosted the party’s numbers in Scotland at the 2024 general election, providing a significant helping hand in electing Labour to Westminster. However, he then oversaw the party’s worst Holyrood result since devolution in May.

Only last month he also failed to make much headway in the two Westminster by-elections in Scotland.

Since then he has insisted he will stay on as party leader and see out the full five-year parliamentary term. However, only weeks into the new parliament he is bowing out for a job in Andy Burnham’s new government.

There are only 17 people to choose from to be the next Scottish Labour leader - but which one will be successful?

Monica Lennon

This would be quite the turnaround for Monica Lennon. Ms Lennon stood for party leadership back in 2021, but lost out to Mr Sarwar.

She then failed to get re-elected at May’s election. She came second in Rutherglen and Cambuslang, trailing the SNP by 5,844 votes. Ms Lennon was then ranked fourth on Labour’s Glasgow regional list and the party only one three seats in the city.

However, Holyrood rules mean that when Mr Sarwar leaves his job in the Scottish Parliament, his palace would automatically go to Ms Lennon without the need for a by-election.

She has good support amongst the party and clearly has leadership ambitions. It would be a massive change of fortunes for her, but if Mr Burnham can re-enter parliament and immediately take on the top job, why can Ms Lennon not do so too?

Get our revamped Steamie newsletter

Michael Marra MSP

Michael Marra has been a North East MSP since 2021, and is currently the party’s finance spokesman.

The former Dundee councillor is seen as a steady pair of hands when it comes to crunching numbers and has good relationships across the parliament.

Behind the scenes, it is understood Mr Marra is actively seeking support to put together a credible pitch for leadership, and his ambitions are openly talked about in the Holyrood bubble.

However, he has been criticised for playing a strategic role in drafting up the party’s 2026 manifesto, which failed to capture the public’s imagination. Still, it would be surprising if he did not launch a leadership challenge.

Paul Sweeney MSP

Paul Sweeney has been a Glasgow MSP since 2021, and before that was the MP for Glasgow North East between 2017 and 2019.

He is an ally of Mr Burnham, and campaigned for him during the Makerfield by-election. He also has good relations with former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, who has made a return to government under Mr Burnham.

Mr Sweeney would be well placed to ensure good cross-party relations within the party, and has a good track record in standing up for Glasgow, particularly when it comes to the city’s built heritage. But the question is, can he shake off the impression that he is a ‘Glasgow’ man, and become a ‘Scotland’ man?

Daniel Johnson MSP

Daniel Johnson has been the MSP for Edinburgh Southern since 2016, and is one of only three constituency MSPs the party has in Holyrood.

He also managed to secure a pretty convincing victory in May, with a majority of 4,963 and a vote share against the SNP swinging up by 8.4 per cent.

Mr Johnson is seen as a safe pair of hands when it comes to the economy and has good relationships with business, but is his success behind-the-scenes enough to take on the front-facing job at the top?

Joe Fagan MSP

This is a bit of a wild card choice, but a choice nonetheless.

Joe Fagan is the former leader of South Lanarkshire Council and became an MSP for South Scotland in May.

Despite having just two months of experience in the Scottish Parliament, it is understood he is current deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie’s pick for leader, so we cannot rule the newcomer out completely.

However, it is difficult to see the new kid on the block being able to take on the other potential candidates when he is so new to Holyrood.

Dame Jackie Baillie MSP

Speaking of Ms Baillie, there is one thing we do know about the current deputy leader - she is set to take on the party leadership on an interim basis when Mr Sarwar steps down.

Read more: Jackie Baillie: Why Andy Burnham can succeed on rough sleeping where the SNP have failed

However, whether she mounts a formal leadership bid is still to be seen. Despite being one of the few remaining 1999s in Holyrood, she is very closely tied to Mr Sarwar which would hold her back in any leadership challenge.

She also coordinated the party’s election campaign alongside Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander, and given it was the worst result for the party since devolution, this would stand against her.