Runner-up calls for electoral reform

THE defeated Labour leadership candidate Ken Macintosh yesterday suggested there should be a review of the electoral system that saw him lose the contest despite winning the most support from the party membership.

Macintosh, the MSP for East Renfrewshire, lost out on the Scottish Labour leadership as a result of Johann Lamont receiving superior backing from the trade unions.

The result was declared after counting votes from three electoral colleges. The first college was made up of MSPs, MPs and MEPs, the second consisted of ordinary members and the third was made up of trade union members.

Each college accounted for one third of the total vote. Among the ordinary members, Macintosh received 17.7 per cent compared with Lamont’s 12.2 per cent. In the end, this was outweighed by the 21.8 per cent backing that Lamont received from the unions (compared with Macintosh’s 8.8 per cent).

When asked whether he thought that the electoral college system that saw the unions push him out of contention should be reformed, Macintosh, the early front-runner in the contest, said: “I think there will be lots of changes for the party. If she [Lamont] looks at some of our structures perhaps they look a little bit out of place these days and that will be one for the new leader to look at.

“During the election process this was brought to our attention and everything is up for grabs.”