Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard quits 'in the best interests' the party heading into May's Holyrood elections

The Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard has resigned with immediate effect after three years in charge.

It comes after he faced down an open revolt against his leadership last September.

At the time his own MSPs called for him to step down ahead of May’s Scottish elections, fearing his lack of impact on the electorate would lead to disaster.

In a statement, Mr Leonard said over the festive he thought “long and hard” and decided that it was “in the best interests of the party” to resign.

He also said that speculation about his leadership had become a “distraction” when it came to delivering the party’s message to the public.

"I have thought long and hard over the Christmas period about what this crisis means, and the approach Scottish Labour takes to help tackle it,” he said.

"I have also considered what the speculation about my leadership does to our ability to get Labour's message across. This has become a distraction.

"I have come to the conclusion it is in the best interests of the party that I step aside as leader of Scottish Labour with immediate effect."

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: "I would like to thank Richard for his service to our party and his unwavering commitment to the values he believes in.

"Richard has led Scottish Labour through one of the most challenging and difficult periods in our country's history, including a general election and the pandemic."

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