A Scottish Labour MP has called for the party’s leadership to stand down after losing seats at the Holyrood election.
Labour sunk to 17 seats last week, but managed to claim joint second with Reform UK.
Speaking on Monday, Alloa and Grangemouth MP Brian Leishman – a frequent critic of the party’s leadership at a UK level – said it was time for leader Anas Sarwar and his deputy Dame Jackie Baillie to quit.
Asked if they should stand down, he told BBC Radio Scotland: “Absolutely.
“There’s talk of a national wave, now don’t get me wrong, Keir Starmer came up very, very regularly on the doorsteps, there has been a national wave against Keir Starmer.
“But what I will say is, if you want to take credit for going from two Scottish Labour MPs in the general election to 37, then you’ve got to say that was a national wave.
“Anas and Jackie cannot take the credit for that but then look at us being reduced to 17 MSPs and not hold up their hands and be accountable and responsible for that.”
The electoral strategy, Mr Leishman said, “was not there”.
“The bold, transformational radicalism was not there,” he said.
“If Scottish Labour don’t get back to our radical values and actually offering something different for the Scots that need it, then we are facing electoral oblivion.”
We've got to get away from the cult of personality and actually look at policies and politics that will meaningfully change people's lives
The MP refused to be drawn on who might replace the two leaders, but added: “We’ve got to get away from the cult of personality and actually look at policies and politics that will meaningfully change people’s lives.
“Our manifesto was light on that and we really have to offer an awful lot better.”
Last week’s results across the UK have ramped up pressure on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, with a crunch speech due on Monday as he vies to save his premiership.
Former Foreign Office minister Catherine West announced over the weekend she would launch her own bid to unseat the Prime Minister if someone in the Cabinet does not step forward.
But Mr Leishman said the race to replace Sir Keir cannot be as a result of a “sort of coup from the Cabinet”.
“We’ve got to be a democratic political party and that means people that want to put their name forward doing so, seeing if they can amass the nominations required and then put it forward to our grassroots Labour Party members,” he said.
We have to understand not just where we fell short, but why
Writing in the Daily Record on Monday, Mr Sarwar said: “Over the days, weeks and months ahead, the Labour Party in Scotland and across the UK will have to reflect seriously on this result.
“We have to listen. We have to learn the lessons.
“We have to understand not just where we fell short, but why. We have to hear what voters were telling us, including when the message is uncomfortable.
“Reflection that means anything has to be honest, disciplined and unsparing.
“But reflection cannot become paralysis, and disappointment cannot become drift.”
He added: “We lost the argument for change this time.
“Our job now is to understand why, to rebuild, to hold the government to account, so that we can serve the people who need change now more than ever.”
In his speech on Monday, which was pitched by many as an effort to rescue his premiership, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he had spoken to Mr Sarwar, but refused to say more about the conversation.
Relations between the two Labour leaders soured in February when Mr Sarwar urged the Prime Minister to quit.