'Labour will rediscover its soul' under my leadership, says Michael Marra
There are still weeks to go until a new leader of Scottish Labour is elected.
Michael Marra has said Scottish Labour needs to “rediscover its soul” and change how it does politics.
Mr Marra is due to make a keynote speech on his party leadership bid in Glasgow on Monday morning.
The North East MSP is running against newcomer Joe Fagan MSP to become the next leader of Scottish Labour, with a winner not expected until mid-September.
During his speech this morning, he will pledge to deliver change for working class people from the opposition benches if he becomes party leader.
Mr Marra is expected to say: “Never before has our national politics felt so small while our national challenges are so large.
“Potentially £5 billion worth of SNP cuts by 2030. A legal target for child poverty set to be missed by a mile. Public services creaking with demand.
“Good industrial jobs sent abroad as good Scottish workers are sent to the dole queue. A crisis of youth unemployment.
“Economic growth lagging behind the cost-of-living hitting everyone in the pocket. All while artificial intelligence is about to transform our economy and society in profound ways.
“There’s a lot of work to do. We can’t wait until 2031 and cross our fingers hoping that finally people will be willing to give us a chance then.
“We need to get to work on Labour answers to these challenges and deliver these answers through the parliament. We can’t just say the SNP are getting it wrong, we need to show we get it right.
“Because the truth is Labour delivered a Scottish Parliament and then has too often failed to use it to deliver for working class communities unless we have been in government ourselves.
“People don’t need to be convinced the SNP are a tired and poor government, they need to be convinced that Labour has better answers, better solutions and can make a meaningful difference to their lives.
“So we need to change how we do politics and seek to deliver change through the Scottish Parliament from opposition.”
Mr Marra, who played a pivotal role in drawing up the party’s 2026 election manifesto, is also expected to use his keynote speech to recommit Scottish Labour as being the party that leads the case for social justice through the dignity of work.
He will say: “Too often people have told me that they don’t know what Labour is for, and I understand that, so let me state it plainly - under my leadership Labour will rediscover its soul.
“We will lead the moral case for social justice in this country through the dignity of work.
“Donald Dewar described the Scottish Parliament as not an end, but a means to greater ends. Those greater ends were social justice.
“The eradication of poverty in our society. Good work, good housing, good public services. The good life for working people, not struggling for a holiday once a year or a pint once a week.
“An economy where everyone has a fair chance in life, which redistributes power, wealth and opportunity. That means asking the wealthiest and the big corporations to pay their fair share, and ending Holyrood’s culture of centralisation, where money and control are hoarded in Edinburgh while communities go without.”
This comes after Unison announced over the weekend that it is backing Mr Marra’s opponent Mr Fagan.
Unison had initially backed Monica Lennon MSP to become the next leader of Scottish Labour, however she failed to get enough parliamentarians backing her to secure her place on the ballot paper.
Mr Fagan says the backing is a “major boost” for his bid, as his campaign will focus on resisting austerity, strengthening public services and putting working people back at the heart of Scottish Labour.
He has also pledged to fight SNP cuts to public services, back fair funding for councils, strengthen collective bargaining, and will campaign for a minimum £15 an hour rate for social care workers, alongside better sick pay and paternity provision.
Mr Fagan said: “I am incredibly proud to have the backing of Unison Scotland and grateful for the confidence they have placed in me and this campaign.
“Unison members are the people holding Scotland together. They care for people, keep our schools and councils running and deliver the public services communities depend on every day.
“My politics has always started with work and with the people who provide the services we all rely on.
“As a council leader, I saw what can be achieved when we respect the workforce, work with trade unions and trust local government to deliver. We protected services, backed workers and delivered the best paid home care workforce in the country.
“That is the approach I want Scottish Labour to take across Scotland.
“We cannot rebuild public services by cutting jobs, hollowing out councils or dressing up austerity as reform. We need fair funding, stronger collective bargaining and reform that is done with workers, not to them.”
He added: “Scottish Labour needs to be bold again. We need to stand with working people, resist SNP austerity and rebuild our party around strong public services, strong local government and strong communities.”
The ballot of Scottish Labour members will run until noon on Thursday 17 September. The winner of the contest will then be announced at a special conference on Saturday 19 September.
Dame Jackie Baillie MSP will lead the party in the Scottish Parliament until either Mr Marra or Mr Fagan is elected.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.