Glasgow Labour’s Malcolm Cunning believes he is the man to keep the SNP’s “feet to the fire” after it emerged he faces a contest for the leadership role.
George Redmond, who was re-elected last week following five years out of the city chambers, plans to challenge Cllr Cunning after the party lost out to the SNP by a single seat in last week’s elections.
A vote is set to take place at Glasgow Labour’s AGM on Monday to decide who leads the group into the new council term.
READ MORE: Glasgow Cathcart pub could be knocked down to make way for flats
Cllr Redmond, who previously held senior roles during 18 years on Glasgow City Council, told the Daily Record he wants to address the “heartbreaking” state of the city centre.
But Cllr Cunning said he doesn’t believe now is the right time for a change in leadership and Cllr Redmond wouldn’t be a “significant step forward” for the party.
Cllr Cunning said: “Not surprisingly, I’m rather disappointed that the reaction to what has been a remarkably good result, easily the best result for us in Scotland, is reaching the conclusion that we need to change the leadership.”
Labour is up five seats from the 2017 election, winning 36 last week, but the SNP won 37 and is likely to form an administration for the next five years. Cllr Cunning said the group should be building on its performance, towards 2027 and “the real prospect of taking control of Glasgow”.
“There is a job of work to be done that I think I can do to keep the SNP’s feet to the fire and hold them to account," he said.
The Linn ward councillor doesn’t plan to stand for re-election in 2027 and believes a candidate “will emerge as the likely future of the Labour group” over the next five years.
Cllr Redmond, however, is “not the change the Labour Party needs”, Cllr Cunning added, saying: “It needs to be a Labour Party of the 2020s, not the dog-end of the last century and the beginning of this one.”
He thinks the challenge is being lodged now as “they think it’s the best opportunity, with new people in”, adding: “I think it would be fairer a year in, when they have had an opportunity to see us in action.”
Cllr Redmond, who was the executive member for jobs, business and investment when Labour last ran the city, told the Record: “I’ve got widespread experience in the portfolios I have held.
“I had the economic brief, the Glasgow Life brief and I was the co-author of the Glasgow health strategy. I have also run a successful financial organisation.
“Glasgow is not in a good place. People want the city cleaned up. One of the first things I would do is call a meeting of the business community about the city centre.
“The state of the city centre is heartbreaking. Big stores have pulled out. We can’t pretend it is not happening.”
