A SCOTTISH Labour leadership candidate has unveiled a plan to oust Jackie Baillie as deputy leader.
Monica Lennon has drawn up a proposal to share the position between a councillor and an MP, the Daily Record reports.
This would mean Baillie, who is Scottish Labour’s longest-serving MSP, would become ineligible to hold the position she has had since 2020.
Lennon’s plan would also see the leader and their deputy lose their protected places in on the regional lists for Holyrood elections.
She, Michael Marra and Joe Fagan are vying to replace Anas Sarwar after he led the party to its worst-ever Scottish Parliament result in history.
Sarwar was elevated to the Lords and has been appointed as a minister in Andy Burnham’s government.
Speaking to the Record, Lennon, who is struggling to get on the ballot, said: “All of our deputy leaders in the past have worked tirelessly to drive the party forward but the times we are in call for radical change.
“I will seek a rule change for a new leadership model with two deputy leaders, one an MP and one a councillor, helping rebuild and strengthen the relationship between MPs, MSPs and councillors while increasing our focus on campaigning, growing the party and the development of radical policy.”
She also said she would ensure the new leadership would stand back from the selection of candidates: “If elected, the leadership team will not be involved in candidate selection, including on interview panels. At all stages, prospective candidates must have a fair and impartial process, free from conflicts of interest.”
Lennon lost out on a Holyrood seat at the election in May because she was too low down on the Scottish Labour list to be elected. She will fill the seat vacated by Sarwar on his departure for Westminster when the Scottish Parliament returns at the end of the month.
Currently, the leader and deputy are automatically given the top spots on a regional list of their choice for Holyrood elections.
Lennon said members would rank each list in its entirety: “I will give up the protected place on the regional list and will take a proposal to the SEC seeking a rule change so there is no protected place for any leader or deputy leader of the Scottish Labour Party.”
