With the exit of Gordon Brown from Number 10, there is a noticeable absence of Scots figures vying for power

• Gordon Brown leaves Downing Street for the last time

Until her surprise announcement, the choice facing the party was limited to four male, white, Oxbridge-educated former special advisers and Cabinet ministers with minimal political differences and a left-wing backbencher who admits he is unlikely to get the 33 nominations needed to get on the ballot paper.

If Ms Abbott manages to get the necessary nominations – and she claims to be confident of doing so by attracting support not only from the left but also from women – then there will be some diversity on offer. But there is a notable absence of any Scots bidding to take the helm of the party.

Unlike Tony Blair, who was at least born and educated in Edinburgh even if he made little of it, none of the current batch of contenders – David and Ed Miliband, Ed Balls, Andy Burnham, John McDonnell and Ms Abbott – has any obvious Scottish links at all.

Former Chancellor and Edinburgh MP Alistair Darling has ruled himself out, despite the fact his experience in handling of the banking crisis would have made him a candidate with gravitas and appeal. And no other Scottish MP is seen as a contender.

It is not that long ago, however, that there was a prospect of all three main UK parties being led by Scots.

In 2005, Gordon Brown was waiting to fulfil his destiny by succeeding Tony Blair in Downing Street, Highlander Charles Kennedy was in charge of the Liberal Democrats – soon to be replaced by Fife MP Sir Menzies Campbell – and Scots-born Tory frontbencher Liam Fox made a strong bid for his party's leadership, finishing third behind David Cameron and David Davis.

Now all the parties are now under strictly English management and could well stay that way for the foreseeable future. At one time, despite their declining strength in Scotland, the Tories had several Scots who were talked of or saw themselves as possible future leaders, including Ian Lang, Michael Ancram and Malcolm Rifkind.

Now the party has only one MP north of the border. Edinburgh-born Michael Gove is one of Mr Cameron's closest colleagues – though probably not an obvious leadership contender.

And Liam Fox, who will be 50 next year, may be considered too old to be a contender next time. But if the new Conservative-Lib Dem coalition were to end in sudden disaster, Mr Fox, a consistent right-winger, could be well positioned to lead the party back to its roots.

In contrast to the Tories, the Lib Dems still have a strong contingent of Scottish MPs – at least for now. But despite the meteoric rise of Inverness MP Danny Alexander to the Cabinet as Scottish Secretary, there are no obvious future leaders in waiting.

Except, some might say, for former leader Charles Kennedy, who voiced his unease about the coalition with the Tories last weekend and could therefore conceivably make a leadership comeback, offering an alternative path if the deal falls apart.

In the Labour camp, Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling's withdrawal to the back benches and the departure of John Reid leaves Jim Murphy and Douglas Alexander as Scotland's most prominent MPs.

Whether either of them might be candidates for the leadership in the future remains to be seen, but for the moment they have both signed up as lieutenants in David Miliband's campaign.

At the start of devolution, some commentators argued Scottish politicians would never again be able to stride the Westminster stage in the star roles.

How could Scots MPs be given Cabinet roles in charge of UK policy mainly affecting England when there was a whole parliament full of Scots politicians here in Edinburgh making similar decisions for Scotland?

But Gordon Brown's premiership, Alistair Darling's period as chancellor and the inclusion of Douglas Alexander in the Cabinet suggest such a view was at least premature.

Going by the results of the general election, Mr Brown does seem to have been far less popular in the south of England than he was in Scotland. But how far that was down to his Scottish-ness is difficult to say.

Charles Kennedy seemed to go down well with people in all parts of the country when he was Lib Dem leader.

One senior Labour politician says the current dearth of would-be leaders from Scotland is more to do with the absence of superstars among the younger generation of Scots MPs.

He says: "The Scottish superstars are all dead or out of office – Donald Dewar, John Smith, Robin Cook, Gordon Brown – and you could almost add Alistair Darling.

"Will there ever be a period when so many Scots dominate the Government? Maybe not.

"It's partly to do with the fact that a lot of outstanding MPs were Scots and that doesn't seem to be the case any more.

"Jim Murphy and Douglas Alexander have been influential figures, but whether they continue to be will depend on the new leader. I don't see them as leaders."

This senior politician argues Scots could again hold the highest offices at Westminster, even if it is not for some time.

"It's not prohibited – it could still happen, but perhaps it is more difficult to reach the top and anyone who does will have to have outstanding qualities."