Anas Sarwar is named new leader of the Scottish Labour Party after beating Monica Lennon in vote
- Mr Sarwar took 57.6 per cent of the vote compared to Lennon’s 42.4 per cent
- Politician will take over after shock resignation of Richard Leonard in January
- He previously served as Deputy Leader of Scottish Labour from 2011 to 2014
Anas Sarwar has today been named leader of the Scottish Labour Party after beating Monica Lennon in the vote.
The politician, who served as Deputy Leader from 2011 to 2014, took 57.6 per cent of the vote compared to Lennon’s 42.4 per cent.
Mr Sarwar takes over after the shock resignation of Richard Leonard in January and just ten weeks away from the Holyrood elections.
Anas Sarwar (pictured) has today been named leader of the Scottish Labour Party after beating Monica Lennon in the vote
The politician, who served as Deputy Leader from 2011 to 2014, took 57.6 per cent of the vote compared to Ms Lennon’s 42.4 per cent. Pictured: Monica Lennon
In a speech to members after the announcement, he thanked Ms Lennon for a campaign that ‘has shown the best of our party, not the worst of our politics’.
Speaking directly to voters, he added: ‘I know Labour has a lot of work to do to win back your trust, because if we’re brutally honest, you haven’t had the Scottish Labour Party you deserve.
‘Rising injustice, inequality and division, I’m sorry we haven’t been good enough and I will work day and night to change that so we can build a country we all need.’