Glasgow East disaster persuades Kerr to run for Labour leadership

Published on Sunday 27 July 2008 23:25

ANDY Kerr, many people's favourite to become the next Scottish Labour leader, has said his party's Glasgow East by-election disaster convinced him to stand for the job.

The East Kilbride MSP, who had been uncertain about running for the leadership after Wendy Alexander quit, said he wanted to do what he could to help Labour rebuild.

He is entering what many now expect to be a three-horse race, along with Iain Gray, the finance spokesman, and Cathy Jamieson, the deputy leader. Ken McIntosh, Labour's education spokesman, is also said to be thinking of standing.

As they lick their wounds from the Glasgow East defeat, Labour MSPs say they see the leadership election as an ideal opportunity to rebuild bridges with traditional supporters.

"It gives us a chance to start again – rethink and reconnect," one said.

The by-election loss looks almost certain to have ended any support Labour may have had for an independence referendum, with the three main leadership rivals making it clear the policy championed by Ms Alexander to "shoot the Nationalist fox" ended when she stepped down as leader.

Only the Glasgow Cathcart MSP Charlie Gordon, who is unlikely to get enough MSPs to nominate him as a leadership challenger, would reportedly continue to back the referendum proposal.

With the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives also opposed, that would make it impossible for the Nationalists to push through their proposals at Holyrood.

Privately, many Labour figures also feel that, with the current dominance of the SNP, it would be suicidal to fight a referendum and it would lead to the break-up of the UK.

All three leadership front-runners insisted that the party now had to concentrate on the "priorities of ordinary Scots".

Mr Kerr, who will formally launch his campaign at the end of this week, said he was coming round to standing after much thought, but Glasgow East had hardened his resolve.

"I thought to myself, if you don't stand up to the plate now, when are you going to do it?" Mr Kerr said. "I know I can win this contest and I know I can do a good job for the party, and I don't want to look back and think I did not try."

Meanwhile, Mr Gray's supporters say they are delighted he is the first target of SNP briefings, with the Nationalist spin team saying they want the "grey" Mr Gray as leader. Lord George Foulkes, who will sign his nomination papers, said: "That shows the Nationalists are already worried about Iain."

Ms Jamieson, who will launch her campaign today, wants to take Scottish Labour back to its "traditional roots". Her supporters feel the need for this approach was underlined by the Glasgow East result, which showed Labour had become disconnected from its traditional supporters.

Ms Jamieson also made it clear she would not be shy of forging policies different to those of Gordon Brown and Westminster Labour.

"The important thing is that we all come from the same Labour tradition and our policies will reflect that," she said. "But what is right south of the Border may not be right for Scotland, and sometimes we will need different policies."

The decision by the three leadership contenders to abandon support for a referendum was met with SNP scorn.

Angus Robertson, the MP for Moray, said Labour would pay a heavy price if it stood in the way of a referendum. "Even before the leadership campaign officially begins, it is being dominated by the question of a referendum" he said. "With three of the candidates coming out against, they have shown just how out of touch they are."