Jackie Baillie elected Scottish Labour deputy leader as Starmer wins UK
BBC Scotland is reporting that Jackie Baillie has been elected Scottish Labour’s deputy leader after a ballot of party members.
The Dumbarton, Vale of Leven, Helensburgh and Lomond MSP replaces Lesley Laird, who lost her seat at Westminster in the general election last December.
Ms Baillie received 10,311 votes, against 7,528 for the only other remaining candidate, Glasgow councillor Matt Kerr.
The result of the UK Labour leader and deputy leader contest will be announced on Saturday. It is widely anticipated that Keir Starmer QC will take over that role from Jeremy Corbyn.
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Starmer: Corbyn is ‘a friend, as well as a colleague’
BREAKING NEWS: Sir Keir, who was elected Labour leader on Saturday morning, says the coronavirus outbreak has highlighted “who the key workers really are”.
He adds: “For too long, they have been taken for granted and poorly paid. They were last and now they should be first.
“We must go forward with a vision of a better society, built on that resilience and built on that human spirit. And that will require bravery and change in our party as well.”
Sir Keir thanks the other candidates, Lisa Nandy and Rebecca Long-Bailey, and pays tribute to Jeremy Corbyn for “energising our movement”, calling him “a friend, as well as a colleague”.
He adds: “Whether you voted for me or not I will represent you, I will listen to you and I will bring our party together.”
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Ms Baillie thanked party members and trade unionists for their backing – and promised to rebuild support for the party ahead of next year’s Holyrood elections. But she also acknowledged that the current focus should be on tackling the threat of the coronavirus pandemic.
She said: “When this election started, nobody expected the country to be in the grip of a global pandemic. Our collective focus will remain on the challenge that Covid-19 poses to the very fabric of our society.
“Our heartfelt thanks goes to the workers on the frontline – from doctors and nurses to social care staff, police officers and food retail workers.
“They are helping to care for us and keep us safe at a time of crisis and we should never forget their bravery and service. We will get through this together.”
She added: “It will be some time before politics returns to normal, but the next Scottish Parliament elections are now just over one year away.
“The Scottish Labour Party has a huge challenge ahead of us. Working together with Richard Leonard, our new UK leader and the entire Labour movement, I am ready for that challenge.”
Ms Baillie has twice been acting leader of the party, but was sacked from the front bench team by current Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard in 2018.
Mr Leonard, pictured right, insisted he was “delighted” with the result
“We will unite the party and work closely together to get the party in shape to fight the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections,” he said.
“Jackie will bring a renewed energy and determination to win so I am extremely pleased that she is joining the leadership team at this critical time.”
Another lurch to the right in Scottish Labour when we desperately need more Socialists.
Ugh! The kiss of death. “Bombs Away” Baillie! Says it all about Labour and the Trade Unions. Working class communities will have to go it alone and lead from the front without these mass murdering fascist imperialists and liberal humanitarian military interventionists. Investment tip…..gravediggers, coffin makers, undertakers, funeral parlours and crematoriums. Profits are soaring. Disaster capitalism is where it’s at. Never mind divide and rule now…it’s divide and ruin!