Anas Sarwar has won the Scottish Labour leader job race after beating out Monica Lennon.
The Scottish Labour leadership contest has finally drawn to a close as the winner was announced this morning.
Now Sarwar has secured the top role following his focused on attempts to reunite the party while trying to resist any move towards another independence referendum.
Anas said being elected was 'the greatest honour of his life' during his first speech as leader of the party.
He said: "I want to say directly to the people of Scotland - I know
Labour has a lot of work to do to win back your trust because if
we're brutally honest you haven't had the Scottish Labour party
you deserve."
Anas thanked to members for putting their trust in him as he vows to 'serve their movement'.
He also thanked Monica Lennon for the positive campaign that has shown 'the best of their party not the worst of their politics'.
It comes after Leonard quit in January, days after saying he was determined to fight for every vote in the election this May.
Glasgow MSP Anas Sarwar then quickly threw his hat into the ring, followed by Central Scotland MSP Monica Lennon.
In a cordial contest between the two, both have sought to pitch themselves as the "change candidate".
Scotland's constitutional future has again been one of the major features of the campaign, with both candidates repeatedly asked for their take on the issue.
While both have said they are opposed to the idea of Scottish independence, Lennon stated she believed that should a pro-independence majority be elected to Holyrood in May, the party will have to accept another referendum on the issue.
Sarwar, meanwhile, has urged independence-supporting parties to put the issue aside and focus on the recovery from coronavirus.
Leonard's deputy Jackie Baillie took over the day-to-day running of the party following his resignation, in the midst of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as well as the Alex Salmond inquiry.
