Scottish Labour’s leader, Richard Leonard, has sacked two of his most experienced shadow cabinet colleagues in a reshuffle described as a “purge” by critics, and which appears to coincide with an ongoing row over the payment of former leader Kezia Dugdale’s legal fees.
Anas Sarwar, who lost to Leonard following an ill-tempered leadership contest last autumn, was replaced as health spokesperson, while Jackie Baillie lost her role as economy spokesperson.
The Guardian understands that Baillie, one of Scottish Labour’s longest serving MSPs, was sacked by phone. Sarwar revealed that he first learned of Leonard’s decision via social media.
In a statement, Sarwar said that he was “deeply disappointed” to lose his health portfolio, adding: “It’s a shame that I came to know about this decision through Twitter, while I was leading for Labour in a health debate in the Holyrood chamber.”
Both Baillie and Sarwar offered their support to Dugdale after the UK Labour party withdrew its funding for her defence in a defamation action brought by Stuart Campbell, who runs the Wings Over Scotland blog, with Baillie calling on fellow MSPs to contribute to a fighting fund for their colleague.
Campbell is suing Dugdale for £25,000 after she called one of his tweets “homophobic” in her Daily Record newspaper column, a claim that he denies.
The UK party had previously paid for her representation in court but this week general secretary, Jennie Formby, said she had decided to stop after obtaining legal counsel that Dugdale faced “significant financial liability”. Formby also accused Dugdale of failing to thank the party for its financial support.
Following the reshuffle, sources close to Baillie said: “Factionalism has won over competence. It’s disappointing as it would appear that a Labour party that has always been a broad church has now decided that factionalism is more important.”
Ian Murray, MP for Edinburgh South and a long-standing Corbyn critic, tweeted: “The purge of good, capable and committed people goes on merely for standing up for what they believe in. I don’t know whether to be angry or sad. I thought Richard was better than this?”
Leonard said that he had decided to “refresh” the shadow cabinet in order to “focus on unity and the public, not ourselves and internal battles”.
Sarwar’s role will now be filled by leftwinger Monica Lennon, a Corbyn supporter who has distinguished herself as an equalities campaigner since she was first elected in 2016. Leonard will cover the economy brief himself.
Neil Findlay, who acted as Corbyn’s leadership campaign manager in Scotland, will take on the key role of Labour chief whip at Holyrood, while the former party deputy Alex Rowley will return to cabinet as local government spokesperson.
Rowley resigned from the frontbench last year after a former partner accused him of stalking and harassment following the breakdown of their relationship, allegations that he denied. A party investigation was subsequently dropped because the woman did not want Rowley to read the full details of her complaint.
Earlier on Thursday, Scottish Labour’s head of communications, Charlie Mann, resigned after less than six months in post, stating that he had “decided the role is not for me”.
