An influential pro-Corbyn group inside the Scottish Labour party has urged its supporters to avoid a civil war in the contest to succeed Kezia Dugdale.
The Campaign for Socialism has called for a “comradely, respectful and constructive” contest, which has been triggered by Dugdale’s surprise resignation on Tuesday as leader of the Scottish party after two years in the post.
The race to succeed her is now expected to be between only two candidates: Anas Sarwar, a centrist and former deputy leader of Scottish Labour; and Richard Leonard, a respected but little known trade unionist first elected to Holyrood in May 2016.
Widely seen as the favourite, Sarwar is understood to be on the brink of confirming his candidacy. But senior party figures fear his declaration may open up divisions on the left of the party, because of Sarwar’s wealth and his political history.
In a clear warning that activists needed to avoid damaging the party’s chances of winning future elections, the CfS said in a statement that it “looks forward to an engaging and compelling showcase of our party’s potential in the weeks to come … It is vitally important that Scottish Labour party members unite behind the winner of that contest in order that we can continue on the road to government for the many, not the few”.
Leonard, an experienced organiser with the GMB trade union and a specialist in industrial and economic policy, is under significant pressure to become a standard bearer for the left after Neil Findlay, the most prominent pro-Corbyn MSP at Holyrood, ruled himself out of the contest.
Leonard is very likely to be backed by the CfS, giving him access to a substantial campaign organisation, and is thought highly likely to gain the five signatures needed from Scottish Labour’s 32 MSPs, MPs and MEPs to qualify as a candidate.
The CfS, which is the Scottish equivalent to Momentum, the pro-Corbyn group inside the UK Labour party, was formed in 1994 to combat moves by Tony Blair, then leader of the UK party, to scrap the party’s commitment to public ownership in clause four of its constitution.
Sarwar, the son of the UK’s first Muslim MP, Mohammad Sarwar, was educated at Hutcheson’s grammar, a private school in Glasgow now attended by his children. The Herald newspaper reported on Thursday that his stake in the family’s wholesale food business may be worth up to £5m.
Attacked by critics as a Blairite, Sarwar’s greatest challenge, according to party sources, is gaining the support of members on the left after he signed an open letter last year attacking Corbyn’s leadership.
Labour sources say Sarwar has now withdrawn that letter privately and has won over Corbyn’s allies at Holyrood, but faces a challenge to secure support across all wings of the party.
Senior figures in the centre and left of the party are desperate to avoid Scottish Labour being split by the factional conflicts that tore the Westminster parliamentary party apart last year, so far avoided by the party at Holyrood.
Sarwar is expected to launch his leadership bid within days, after an away-day meeting for Labour MSPs on Friday. The party’s Scottish executive committee is meeting on 9 September to decide on the timings of the contest.
