Big change vow from new Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard

NEW Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard yesterday said his election would deliver a “message of real change” to voters.

The left-winger comfortably beat his rival Anas Sarwar to become the Scottish party’s fourth leader in three years.

Banking 12,469 of the 21,985 votes, Mr Leonard will spend the coming days deciding who will feature in his shadow cabinet.

Addressing supporters in Glasgow yesterday, the former trade union official’s first step was to promise “zero tolerance” of sexism, misogyny and sexual harassment.

A new independent complaints system will be set up in the party, a move that follows the row over harassment allegations made against current deputy leader Alex Rowley, which he denies, that led to his suspension last week.

He added: “We need to change the political culture.”

But Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said: “It is unlikely that any new captain will be enough to turn around a Scottish Labour ship that is holed below the waterline.”

‘Real change is what we’ll deliver’: Richard Leonard writes for The Sunday Post:

PEOPLE are desperately calling for a politics that tackles the problems far too many face every day of their lives such as low pay, a lack of decent housing and exploitative private rents.

At the heart of my mission will be to once and for all end the terrible levels of poverty and inequality, manifested in too many of our children going to bed hungry and too many of our pensioners living in cold houses.

Scottish Labour under my leadership will offer solutions and continue to hold the SNP Government to account for their shambolic mismanagement of public services.

And we will also continue to bring forward new and radical ideas setting out what we are for, around taxing wealth, extending public ownership, developing co-operatives and reshaping care.

I will also be campaigning and standing alongside working people fighting for their jobs and communities facing the impact of unprecedented cuts.

As Scottish Labour leader I will work in step with Jeremy Corbyn and Labour colleagues to achieve what our country needs.

I promised real change, and real change is what we will deliver for the people of Scotland.