Gordon Brown has backed Anas Sarwar for the leadership of the Scottish Labour Party.
The former Prime Minister tweeted his support for the Glasgow MSP after casting his vote in the party leadership election.
Sarwar is going head to head with Labour shadow health secretary Monica Lennon in the contest to replace Richard Leonard and lead the party into the Holyrood elections in May.
Brown congratulated both candidates for their “spirited” leadership campaigns in difficult circumstances", but added: “I have voted for Anas Sarwar as the candidate with both the experience and the new ideas to take us forward.”
Sarwar, who was an MP in Westminster for five years and has been at Holyrood since 2016, has said he wants to focus on healing divisions and helping Scotland recover from if he becomes the next leader.
While he has rejected the idea of another independence referendum in the next parliament Lennon has pitched herself to former Labour voters by saying she would not oppose a demand from a pro-independence majority at Holyrood for re-run of the 2014 vote.
Sarwar is standing to be leader of his party for the second time after losing out to Leonard three years ago.
He is considered the favourite to win the leadership contest after securing the support of most Labour MSPs.
Sarwar has been endorsed by the GMB union as he offered “a clear and unambiguous plan” to restore the party’s fortunes but Lennon has the backing of Unite, the other big union affiliate to the party.
Ballots are open for Scottish Labour party members to vote for their preferred candidate, with an announcement expected on February 27.
