Leonard: Scottish Labour failed to '˜pick up' Corbyn bounce

Scottish Labour leadership contender Richard Leonard. Picture: Contributed

Richard Leonard said the UK leader’s growing support during the campaign was not noticed and acted upon quickly enough in Scotland.

He claimed the party, which won seven seats north of the border, could have been even more successful if it had aligned itself more closely with Jeremy Corbyn.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, Mr Leonard said: “There was an opportunity, I think in all honesty, the Scottish Labour Party missed.

“I think there was a Corbyn bounce, I don’t think it was picked up soon enough and acted on quickly enough in Scotland.

“I think if the Labour Party in Scotland had properly understood what was going on and reacted to it I think that there would have been the opportunity for even greater success.”

He added: “I think we should have used the opportunity of Jeremy Corbyn’s growing popularity in that election to knock on more doors to get across the Labour message and I think to get away a bit from the entrenchment in constitutional politics which we found ourselves in.”

Left-winger Mr Leonard confirmed his intention to stand as a candidate to succeed Kezia Dugdale over the weekend.

Ms Dugdale shocked party members in Scotland when she announced on Tuesday night she was stepping down from the job with immediate effect.

She had been leader of Scottish Labour for two years, taking over from Jim Murphy after the disastrous 2015 general election campaign.

MSP Anas Sarwar has emerged alongside Mr Leonard as a frontrunner for the top job.

Mr Leonard is a former GMB trade union organiser who was elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2016, while Mr Sarwar is the party’s Holyrood health spokesman as well as a former MP and deputy leader of the Scottish party.