NEW SCOTTISH LABOUR LEADER AND DEPUTY ANNOUNCED

Johann Lamont MSP was today elected as leader of the Scottish Labour Party, with Anas Sarwar as her deputy. In the first round of voting, Ms Lamont won with 51.77% of the vote. Mr Sarwar, also winning in the first round of voting, won with 51.10% of the vote.

New Scottish Labour leader, Johann Lamont MSP, said:

"While I am delighted and honoured to be elected leader of Scottish Labour Party, I believe the real work starts now. In May, we fell short of people’s expectations and they turned away from us, unable to find a reason to give us their support. If we are to earn the right to serve the country, our challenge is to listen, to learn lessons and to demonstrate that we can change. I am confident that once again people will recognise that Scottish Labour is the party which understands their lives, can deliver their hopes and will stand up for Scotland."

You can read and listen to her speech here.

New Scottish Labour deputy leader, Anas Sarwar MP, said:

"It is a tremendous honour and privilege to have been elected as the new deputy leader of the Scottish Labour Party. I want to thank members from across the movement for their fantastic support. Scottish Labour will always put the interests of the people of Scotland first and work to build a more inclusive, equal and prosperous country: an ambitious Scotland, within a successful United Kingdom, not just talking about change, but leading it. I will work resolutely behind our new leader to make sure that the changes that are needed happen.This process of renewal is for one key purpose: to give the people of Scotland a Labour Party that they can trust, a Labour Party they can believe in, and a Labour Party that can win."
 
Senior Labour Party figures have congratulated the new leader.

Ed Miliband MP, Leader of the Labour Party, said: "Many congratulations to Johann, the new and the first Scottish Labour Leader. It was right to create this powerful new position which carries with it the weight and authority of the whole party in Scotland. Scottish Labour needed to make this radical change to reflect the reality of the devolution that Labour delivered. Johann’s mission is to win back the trust of Scots and challenge the SNP – a party that is cutting capital spending and public sector jobs faster even than George Osborne. As the leader of the whole Scottish party, she will command the support of all the Scottish Labour parliamentarians, and I look forward to working with Johann and Anas as colleagues and friends.”

Margaret Curran MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, said: "I want to warmly congratulate Johann and Anas, who both ran excellent campaigns. This election has been fought in a comradely and good-natured fashion, not least because all the candidates know we have to change and change radically, but it has also invigorated our local parties and many of our supporters. I and the 41 Scottish Labour MPs who hold the UK government to account day in, day out look forward to working with our new leader to make sure that Scottish Labour is back on the park doing what the people of our country expect: speaking out and doing what is right for Scotland."

The other candidates in the election have sent their best wishes to the leadership team.

Leadership candidate, Ken Macintosh MSP, said: "I want to congratulate my colleague and friend Johann Lamont on becoming the first leader of a fully devolved Scottish Labour Party. This campaign has shown that our party has the ideas, the policies and the passion to be the voice of Scotland once again. We will now unite behind our new leader and move forward, together.”

Leadership candidate, Tom Harris MP, said: "This has been an exhilarating process and I've thoroughly enjoyed the campaign. It has been a genuine privilege to be part of this election. In the last few weeks I've got to know Ken and Johann very well, and I've been impressed by their commitment to Scotland and to Scottish Labour. They are people of principle and commitment. Our party is in safe hands and our new leader deserves the respect and loyalty of every member in every part of the Labour movement."

Deputy leader candidate, Ian Davidson MP, said: "I congratulate Johann and Anas on their success and look forward to working with them to develop a positive Labour message for Scotland."

Deputy leader candidate, Lewis Macdonald MSP, said: "Our new Leader and Deputy Leader both have my full support. They recognise the case for change, the need to be seen to be a Scottish party, and the need to be a party for all of Scotland, and look forward to some definite proposals coming forward which will reflect those commitments. I am very grateful to those colleagues who encouraged me to stand, nominated me, and took up the issues I had raised. I am especially grateful to my wife Sandra, my family and friends, and my team."


Bigoraphy – Johann Lamont MSP – Leader of the Scottish Labour Party

Johann was brought up in Anderston in Glasgow but her roots are firmly in the Hebrides, born to Gaelic speaking-parents from Tiree. She first joined the Labour Party while she was a student at Glasgow University and has remained an activist throughout her adult life, becoming a prominent campaigner for social justice, equality and devolution. She represented the Labour Party in the Scottish Constitutional Convention.

Before being elected to the Scottish Parliament in 1999, Johann worked as a teacher in Rothesay Academy on the Isle of Bute, in Springburn, and in Castlemilk - experiences that formed her driving ambition to tackle poverty and create opportunities for young people.

Before winning the contest to be the first ever leader of the Scottish Labour Party, Johann Lamont served in the Scottish Parliament as a committee convener, a government minister and deputy leader.

Johann was appointed convenor of the Social Justice Committee and later took ministerial office as Communities Minister and then Deputy Justice Minister. She was elected deputy leader by the party in 2008 and was Scottish Labour’s justice spokesperson in the current parliament. Johann is 54 and is married with two teenage children.

Biography – Anas Sarwar MP – Deputy leader of the Scottish Labour Party

Anas Sarwar was born and brought up in the city of Glasgow. He studied dentistry at the University of Glasgow and worked as an NHS dentist prior to becoming a Member of Parliament. He was elected to represent Glasgow Central in 2010, increasing the previously held majority.
 
Anas has been a campaigning member of the Scottish Labour Party since the age of 16 and was part of the team which campaigned to successfully save the Govan shipyard in 1999, collecting more than 80,000 signatures. At the 2007 Scottish Parliament elections Anas was selected to stand as the number 1 candidate on the regional list for Glasgow.
 
A previous executive member of the Scottish Young Labour, Anas is a member of the Co-operative Party, the Fabian Society and trade unions Unite and Community. Anas’ politics are firmly rooted in equality, social justice and fairness.  His immediate priorities are to create jobs, to build a sustainable economy to fund world class public services, ensure society's resources are distributed equitably and to protect the most vulnerable in our communities.
 
Anas has a keen interest in Foreign Policy and International Development.  Shortly after becoming an MP, he was elected by his parliamentary colleagues to serve on the House of Commons International Development Committee. He is also Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Anti-Corruption and was recently a member of the Welfare Reform Bill Committee, which scrutinised the coalition Government’s controversial reforms. Anas is a keen supporter of the children’s charities, Action for Children, Youth Build UK and was a founding member of Y-Vote; an organisation which provides a political platform through music to get young people engaged in the political process. He lives in Glasgow with his wife, Furheen, and two young sons.

Full result of leader and deputy leader of the Scottish Labour Party elections

Section 1: Parliamentarians
Section 2: Individual Scottish Labour Party members
Section 3: Individual members of affiliated organisations

Leader of the Scottish Labour Party

Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party