Scottish Labour leader Who are the front runners?

Gordon Brown and Jim Murphy are among the big-hitters being touted to replace Johann Lamont as Scottish Labour leader.

Ms Lamont officially stood down yesterday with a blistering attack on the UK Labour Party, accusing it of treating Scotland as a “branch office” and being out of touch with Holyrood. But the race to replace her is riven with complexities given it is less than seven months to the next General Election.

Lothians MSP Kezia Dugdale has been installed as the bookies’ favourite at 5/1 but many senior party insiders want her to go for deputy with East Renfrewshire MP Murphy as leader.

Former Prime Minister Mr Brown is understood to have not ruled out going for the job completely, but insiders claim the chances of him doing so are slim.

Current deputy leader Anas Sarwar said yesterday he would not be standing. A spokesman for Mr Sarwar said: “Anas has no interest in seeking nomination for leadership”. It is thought to be unlikely that colleagues will push for him to change his mind.

Among the rest of the Holyrood pack considering running for either leader or deputy are North East MSP Jenny Marra and health spokesman Neil Findlay. Cowdenbeath MSP Alex Rowley, a close ally of Mr Brown, and Glasgow MSP Drew Smith are also outside bets.

One senior insider said: “There are complications with each scenario but the field is quite good. The next few days will be thrashing out who will go on a ticket or go alone. Much hinges on Murphy the only way Brown will do it is if he doesn’t. But even then the chances are slim.

“It’s hard to think of a scenario that doesn’t involve Kezia.”

Speaking as she handed in her resignation, Glasgow Pollok MSP Ms Lamont, leader for three years, hit out at the restraints she claims were put on her job.

She said: “Just as the SNP must embrace that devolution is the settled will of the Scottish people, the Labour Party must recognise that the Scottish party has to be autonomous and not just a branch office of a party based in London.

“There is a danger of Scottish politics being between two sets of dinosaurs the nationalists who can’t accept they were rejected by the people and some colleagues at Westminster who think nothing has changed.”

She attacked those who had attempted to undermine her position as she sought to reform the party in Scotland. Moves to replace Scottish Labour general secretary Ian Price without her consultation appear to have been the final straw. She continued: “Any leader whose general secretary can be removed by London without any consultation is in an untenable position. That has to change.”

A string of senior Labour politicians, including former First Ministers Henry McLeish and Jack McConnell, yesterday said the party had to deal with its internal problems before appointing a new leader.