It’s been almost four days since Johann Lamont resigned as Scottish Labour leader and, in the intervening time, no one rushed to put their name forward for the role. Rather we’ve seen the opposite with many of the “likely contenders” ruling themselves out yesterday.
Just as everyone was starting to wonder whether a couple of candidates were going to have to be literally dragged into the contest, in a surprise move, Sarah Boyack MSP has today stepped forward.
Sarah Boyack’s name hardly came up during all the fevered speculation and prediction that have taken place since Friday and we wait with interest to hear what platform she will run on. While she’s the only candidate to have so far declared their intention to stand, it’s still being widely predicted that she will face fellow Lothian MSP, Neil Findlay, and East Renfrewshire MP Jim Murphy. Both have yet to rule themselves in or out – apparently Jim Murphy is to announce his intentions later today. The expected Findlay v Murphy contest was being widely touted as left v right. A three way race would give Sarah Boyack the opportunity to try and occupy the centre ground.
While interim leader Anas Sarwar has ruled himself out of the leadership contest, he has said that he intends to continue as deputy leader – a move that could pose problems for those members who want to see Jim Murphy take over leadership but believe the leader and deputy should come from different parliaments.
We wait with anticipation to hear what bookies favourite Jim Murphy will decide. He has a strong profile in Scotland (boosted by his referendum soap box tour) and is relatively popular among the public compared to Findlay and Boyack who have nothing like his profile. BUT he has never shown much interest in becoming an MSP and if he does stand for leader, it’s not a sure thing that he will actually win. The big question for now is how much duty does he feel towards the party and will he let this influence his decision when his ambitions lie elsewhere.