The Newshound

'The country we're trying to appeal to doesn't exist anymore': Michael Marra takes charge of Scottish Labour after its worst-ever Holyrood result

From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026 · last updated 20 September 2026.

A Scottish Labour campaign video posted by Michael Marra, who has won the Scottish Labour leadership with 63% of the vote despite the party returning just 17 MSPs — its worst result in devolution's history.
A Scottish Labour campaign video posted by Michael Marra, who has won the Scottish Labour leadership with 63% of the vote despite the party returning just 17 MSPs — its worst result in devolution's history.

Michael Marra has been elected Scottish Labour leader, defeating fellow MSP Joe Fagan by 4,266 votes to 2,485 — winning 63% of votes cast — after the party's catastrophic May election returned just 17 MSPs, its worst performance since devolution began. Marra, a North East Scotland MSP and former Dundee councillor, inherits a party that pollster Mark Diffley has called "a bit of an irrelevance", with fewer than half of Labour members even voting in the contest. Prime Minister Andy Burnham congratulated him, saying he would "give it everything you've got", but Professor Sir John Curtice warned that Marra's recovery prospects lie largely "in the hands of Westminster".

Marra's first act as leader was writing to First Minister John Swinney demanding a cross-party commission to meet Scotland's child poverty targets, warning the country is "going to miss those targets by a mile".

He told BBC Scotland's Sunday Show he must "reconnect with the country in a really profound way", insisting the party can no longer rely on simply being against the Tories, the SNP or Reform.

Sir John Curtice cautioned that Scottish Labour faces a structural trap — with 50% of Scots backing independence, even a Burnham recovery at Westminster may not be enough to revive the party's Holyrood fortunes.

MoreEvening StandardMichael Marra elected Scottish Labour leaderEvening StandardScottish Labour needs to be a ‘national party once again’, new leader Marra saysGB NewsMichael Marra elected new Scottish Labour leaderEvening StandardNew Scottish Labour leader Marra promises to ‘start taking action now’The HeraldScottish Labour still doesn't know what it stands for in ScotlandThe ScotsmanMichael Marra: Labour trying to appeal to a Scotland that no longer existsThe ScotsmanHere's what Michael Marra needs to do to restore Scottish Labour's fortunesDaily RecordMichael Marra must be clear on how he intends to improve lives of ScotsEvening StandardNew Scottish Labour leader presses Swinney to set up commission on child povertyThe HeraldThe structural trap facing Scottish Labour's new leader
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