MOVES are under way to oust Kezia Dugdale if Labour is beaten into third place by the Scottish Conservatives at next month’s Holyrood elections.

Insiders have started briefing the press against the 34-year-old who will launch Labour’s manifesto in Edinburgh on Wednesday as the party struggles to make up any ground on the SNP and fights a strong challenge from the Tories for second place.

Dugdale put her name forward for the leadership position last year on the basis she would be in the job for the long term and wanted to fight at least two Holyrood elections. But with polling evidence suggesting her party may slip to third place in Holyrood behind Ruth Davidson’s Tories, questions are being raised about her future as leader.

Former deputy leader Anas Sarwar is said to be one of the politicians who could launch a challenge against Dugdale if Labour comes third.

“We are going to get trounced by the SNP and opinion is split in the party about what should happen to Kez,” one insider told a Sunday newspaper.

“Everybody is talking about whether Anas will make a move. It would actually be easier for him to take over the reins if the Tories manage to beat us. But he won’t be wishing for that to happen.”

Sarwar, who lost his Glasgow Central Westminster seat at last year’s General Election amid the SNP surge, is top of Labour’s Glasgow list for May 5.

With most of the city’s constituency seats likely is be taken by the SNP, he has a strong chance of being elected via the regional “second vote”.

The former MP denied the claims he would challenge Dugdale.

He told The Sun: “She has my full support and I believe she will one day be First Minister.”

The latest Survation poll earlier this month of more than 1000 Scots predicted the SNP will win a comfortable majority with 70 seats, while the Tories will be second with 21 and Labour third with just 20.

A second Labour insider also told The National that “questions would be asked” about her future if the party came third.

“If we stand still, manage to do a little bit better than at the General Election and even pick up some seats that people thought would go to the SNP, then Kezia will be in a comfortable position,” he said.

“But if we suffer a disaster, fall into third place, then people will be asking questions.”

It was also being reported that Labour’s campaign has been hit by infighting, with one senior politician in the party criticising the strategy and direction of the party.

“It’s Corbyn. It’s Kezia. It’s our tax policy. It’s our left-wing socialist platform and it’s the shit campaign we’re running,” he said when asked by the Sunday Times about the problems facing the party.

SNP business convener Derek Mackay said: “Labour’s campaign so far has been characterised by a series of splits, gaffes and policy disasters, so it’s perhaps no wonder that it seems that senior Labour figures now have the knives out for their party’s leader.

“It is only by voting SNP that voters can elect a party and a leader who will stand for what they believe in and who will stand stronger for Scotland.”





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