Politics

Michael Marra named Scottish Labour leader following member vote

The North East Scotland MSP succeeds Anas Sarwar after winning almost two-thirds of member votes

Updated Sep 19, 2026 · 12:19 UTC2 reports

The short version

Michael Marra was elected leader of Scottish Labour, securing 4,266 votes against Joe Fagan's 2,485 in a leadership contest with 49.4% turnout.[The Guardian · BBC News]
Marra succeeds Anas Sarwar and takes over a party with 17 MSPs, tying it with Reform UK as Holyrood's joint second-largest party after a historic electoral setback in May.[The Guardian · BBC News]
Outlets gave differing reasons for Sarwar's departure, with the BBC reporting he left for the House of Lords and The Guardian reporting he joined the UK government as a trade minister.[The Guardian · BBC News]

Michael Marra was elected Scottish Labour leader after winning 4,266 votes out of 6,751 votes cast.[The Guardian · BBC News]
Joe Fagan finished second in the leadership contest with 2,485 votes.[The Guardian · BBC News]
Turnout among Scottish Labour party members for the election was 49.43%.[The Guardian · BBC News]
Scottish Labour currently holds 17 seats in the Scottish Parliament following the May election.[The Guardian · BBC News]

The exact reason for former leader Anas Sarwar's resignation is disputed between news reports, with one outlet attributing it to joining the House of Lords and another citing a trade minister appointment in the UK government.[The Guardian · BBC News]

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.