One of Scottish Labour’s most senior MSPs, Sarah Boyack, has confirmed she is to stand for election as the party’s new leader after last week’s shock resignation of Johann Lamont.
Boyack, a former transport minister at Holyrood, told the Guardian she would be formally declaring her intention to stand later on Tuesday making her the first to confirm she will contest the leadership.
She is expected to stand as a unity, centre-ground candidate in what is emerging as a three-way contest between her, Jim Murphy, the Blairite shadow international development secretary seen as on the right of the party, and Neil Finday, currently education spokesman at Holyrood, a leftwing trade unionist and Campaign for Socialism activist.
Neither Murphy nor Findlay have yet confirmed they plan to stand. Murphy is said to be still finalising his leadership and campaign team and has a critical decision to make on whether to stand soon for election to Holyrood.
She said: “I want to make sure we take the opportunity to have a constructive conversation about the country and taking Labour forward; we had a huge democratic debate in this country over the last few months and we have to continue that debate.
“People are looking for ambition and vision, and I think that is what the Scottish Labour party is about. We need to look at not only where power lies, but how we use that power for everybody.”
Not widely known outside Holyrood, Boyack has been a significant figure in the Scottish party’s internal policy reforms, working alongside Murphy on restructuring the party organisation and advised Lamont on her proposals for greater devolution.
A former chair of Scottish and National Labour students, she has been at Holyrood since its formation in 1999, introducing free bus passes for over-60s as transport minister under former Scottish Labour first minister Jack McConnell.
