Overview
- Michael Marra formally launched his campaign in Glasgow on Monday, arguing Scottish Labour’s decline is systemic and stems from a failure to adapt since devolution.
- He proposes open regional assemblies that gather local people and groups, publish what is said, and pick citizen-raised issues for formal parliamentary action.
- Marra wants a cross-party commission to produce plans to halve child poverty by the end of the decade and a supermarket levy, funded by minimum unit pricing revenues, to pay for addiction services.
- The leadership contest to replace Anas Sarwar, who was moved to the House of Lords and made a UK minister, is a two-way race between Marra and MSP Joe Fagan and remains unresolved.
- Marra framed his bid as a route back to voters after six successive downturns at Holyrood, said he would work with other parties to keep Reform out of power, and signalled the result will shape Labour’s approach to the 2027 local elections.