WITH Anas Sarwar set to resign and join Andy Burnham's government in Westminster, who is likely to take over the reins in Holyrood?
Sarwar will be elevated to the Lords to take up a ministerial post at the revamped Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, headed by Jonathan Reynolds, according to media reports.
The Scottish Labour leader had previously called for Keir Starmer to step down as prime minister in February and hailed successor Burnham for his “bold Labour vision” as he entered No 10 this week.
Scottish Labour currently has 17 MSPs in the Scottish Parliament, so look at who could be next leader of the party.
Jackie Baillie
Baillie has represented Dumbarton at Holyrood since 1999 and is Scottish Labour’s deputy leader, one of the party’s most experienced figures and a former interim leader.
She currently serves as the party's spokesperson for health, social care and drugs policy and was co-campaign director alongside Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander for the Holyrood campaign.
She faced calls to resign from within the party after sources said both her and Sarwar “were warned multiple times” about their campaign strategy but has remained in post.
Michael Marra
Marra has been a regional MSP for North East Scotland since 2021 and is Scottish Labour’s spokesperson for finance.
A former Dundee councillor, he was central to the party’s policy work ahead of the 2026 election.
He is often seen as Sarwar’s right-hand man and potential successor.
Monica Lennon
Lennon served as a Central Scotland MSP from 2016 until 2026, holding party roles including health and net zero spokesperson, and introduced the bill for the world-first legislation for free period products in Scotland.
Although she lost her seat in 2026, she remains a high-profile party figure – and is expected to return to Holyrood as an MSP once Sarwar resigns and triggers a vacancy, putting her firmly in the frame for a leadership bid.
Lennon, who was defeated by Anas Sarwar in the 2021 Scottish Labour leadership election, recently said that a split from the UK Labour party would be considered as part of a wide-ranging review of policy over the summer.
In 2020, Lennon called for Scottish Labour to split from their UK bosses, saying: "If we look like a pressure group within a UK party structure, we will continue to be rejected."
Daniel Johnson
Johnson has been MSP for Edinburgh Southern since 2016 and is Scottish Labour’s spokesperson for economy, business and fair work.
A former retail business owner and management consultant, he is viewed as one of Scottish Labour's more policy-focused MSPs and has previously been willing to challenge leadership having resigned from the frontbench over the party's position on Europe in 2021, as well as taking a firm stance against Reform UK this year.
Paul Sweeney
Sweeney, a former Glasgow MP, returned to politics as a regional MSP for Glasgow in 2021 after losing his Westminster seat to the SNP and was re‑elected in 2026.
He has served as Scottish Labour’s spokesperson for mental health and veterans and portrays himself as pro‑industrial voice with strong roots in Glasgow’s working-class communities.
He recently struggled to defend Andy Burnham’s decision to reject a second Scottish independence referendum.
In 2024, Sweeney came in for criticism for making “callous and self-interested” comments he made in 2015 about Britain’s bombing campaign against Daesh in Syria, in unearthed tweets.
When will a new Scottish Labour leader be chosen and how?
The timescale will be determined over whether the group of Labour MSPs coalesce around a single candidate or whether more than one contender to replace Sarwar comes forward.
In the event of the former, it's likely that the new leader will be unveiled shortly after Sarwar officially stands down, maybe even days later.
Should a contest be called, it could be weeks or possibly even a couple of months before Sarwar's successor is in place as the candidates put themselves forward formally and a race begins.
In that event, hustings would take place and the party's members in Scotland would vote for their preferred candidate.
