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JOHANN Lamont is Labour to her fingertips and always will be. But now those fingers are releasing the baton of the Scottish Labour leadership in the hope it is handed on to a new generation.

She is not the kind of woman who mapped out her political career on the back of an envelope as a student.

But now the woman often dubbed the reluctant leader thinks it is time to move on.

Lamont took over a party wrecked by the 2011 Scottish election result and facing the daunting prospect of the SNP machine steamrollering Scotland to independence.

And she said: “I am proud of what we have achieved over the last three years. The Scottish Labour Party had never been at a lower point than 2011. But we became competitive again.

“We won well in Glasgow in the 2012 council elections and did well in a series of by-elections. I believe we held Alex Salmond to account.

“And those were vital elements in the Scottish Labour Party being the foundation of the referendum campaign which thankfully we won decisively.

“That was the best possible result for ordinary working people.”

Only a few weeks ago Lamont started to lay out her vision for the future.

Frustrated that the demands of the referendum campaign had stalled the pace of party reform, she opened up the review of Labour structures in Scotland.

That is when problems started.

A senior colleague started lobbying members of the Scottish Labour Executive to ask Lamont to go, while never doing so to her face.

Westminster MPs threatened to leak critical letters to the press.

And worst of all, Ed Miliband’s office moved to replace Scottish Labour general secretary Ian Price with their own candidate without even the courtesy of a phone call, a move current Labour rules meant Lamont could not stop.

Having remained loyally quiet during the fiasco of the Falkirk Labour selection last year, this was too much to bear.

It was clear the Labour leadership at Westminster wouldn’t say anything to her face but were planning her political death by a thousand cuts.

Lamont is not bitter. After the last three years, there is a sense of relief.

But she is disappointed some of her colleagues at Westminster don’t seem to grasp Labour’s challenge in Scotland.

She said: “This has been orchestrated by people who do not understand the politics they are facing. Scotland has changed forever after the referendum.

“Party members up and down the country, voters on the doors, have spoken to me about the change they want.

“And that’s a Scottish Labour Party which reflects their views. That’s what I have been trying to build.

“However, some wanted me to become the issue.

“The Scottish Labour Party and its renewal are more important than me.

“That is why I am standing down – so that debate our country demands can take place.”

She added: “And just as the SNP must embrace that devolution is the settled will of the Scottish people, the Labour Party must recognise that the Scottish party has to be autonomous and not just a branch office of a party based in London.

“Scotland has chosen to remain in partnership with our neighbours in the UK. But Scotland is distinct and colleagues must recognise that.

“There is a danger of Scottish politics being between two sets of dinosaurs … the Nationalists who can’t accept they were rejected by the people, and some colleagues at Westminster who think nothing has changed.”

Lamont hopes whoever succeeds her continues the reforms of the Scottish party which she believes are vital to its survival.

She said: “Any leader whose general secretary can be removed by London without any consultation is in an untenable position.

“That has to change. The Scottish Labour Party must be a more autonomous party which works in partnership with the UK party. We must be allowed to make our own decisions and control our own resources.

“The Scottish Labour Party should work as equal partners with the UK party, just as Scotland is an equal partner in the United Kingdom. Scotland has chosen home rule – not London rule.”

Lamont’s devolution commission promised more powers for the Scottish Parliament. The final proposals were strong but her efforts were hampered by Westminster MPs who feared their own status was threatened by them.

She said: “I firmly believe that Scotland’s place is in the UK and I do not believe in powers for power’s sake. For example, I think power should be devolved from Holyrood to communities.

“But the new devolution settlement must start with what is best for Scotland and not what suits Westminster MPs.

“Colleagues need to realise that the focus of Scottish politics is now Holyrood, not Westminster.”

Lamont, whose Glasgow constituency saw a majority for Yes, is frustrated that the politics of the constitution have stopped a debate about political ideas, and that within her own party the politics of personal self-interest has too often come before the collective good.

For some, it has looked like the Scottish Labour Party is the political version of the Hunger Games.

She said: “We need to realise this. The job of the Scottish Labour Party is to represent working people and represent Scotland.

“It is not about the institution where you serve. It is about the people you serve.

“If you are in this game for the trappings of office, my advice is get out. That is not what this is about.

“It is about changing people’s lives. It is about making Scotland a fairer, more equal society so people can have better lives not politicians.

“My belief is that it is time for the post-referendum generations to take the lead ... those for whom devolution was not a hope, nor a threat, but a lived reality.

“The people of Scotland have spoken. Devolution is our choice.

“The debate now is only about how we change people’s lives for the better. The option is not no change or another referendum.

“The challenge to us all is to have the courage to change.”

Lamont is resigning from the leadership but her passion for politics still burns as brightly as ever.

She said: “The job is not done. As John Smith said, ‘All we ask is the chance to serve.’

“You don’t have to be leader to serve the people you represent, and Scotland. I’ll be there to back the leader, whoever they may be.

“I believe the Scottish Labour Party is a family. It is my family.

“And I hope it is led by someone who knows how to treat family members properly.”