The starting pistol in the race to lead Scotland’s largest local authority has been fired, with several nominations expected now Labour's new leadership is in place.
With the power struggle to succeed Gordon Matheson as Labour leader of Glasgow City Council predicted to be typically bruising and divisive, former Scottish Executive minister Frank McAveety is the first out of the starting blocks.
Mr Matheson’s future as leader of the council is now hanging by a thread after he failed to become the party's deputy leader. There is an expectation that with his standing now damaged he could exit within days. It came just a week after Labour suffered heavy defeats in four by-elections on Glasgow, with massive swings to the SNP, including in Mr Matheson's own ward.
A former leader of the council in the late 1990s, Mr McAveety and his supporters have signalled they will publicly go on the front foot from today, with a pitch for the biggest political job in Scottish local government.
The current education convenor, Stephen Curran, will also declare his intention to stand today and will have backing within the party machine and some close to Mr Matheson.
Both contenders have already prepared their individual mission statements for the job, which comes with a salary of around £50,000, responsibility for a budget of £2 billion and the task of being a major tier of opposition against the SNP juggernaut.
Current deputy leader, Archie Graham, husband of former Scottish leader Johann Lamont, and Malcolm Cunning, head of social work, are also both said to fancy their chances.
However, a senior party insider said efforts would be made to dissuade both men to allow Mr Curran a clear run against Mr McAveety.
It has been an open secret that Mr McAveety would go for the post, with those close to him behind a petition calling for Mr Matheson to bring forward his exit.
The leader of the authority since May 2010, Mr Matheson has been under pressure to stand down and clear the decks for a new regime since announcing he would stand both for Holyrood and the Scottish party's deputy leadership. Sources say his rejection by party membership to become is number two mean he is unlikely to still be in his post by the next full council meeting of September 10.
One senior source said: “Both Frank and Stephen have skeletons, they’ve both been on the end of significant defeats by the SNP, but are both likeable, they have qualities and really there’s no other realistic contenders.
“But the view is that this with power and influence over the group fancy Stephen as more of a break with the past.”
Another said: “Whoever wins, and it will between Frank and Stephen, there will be a different way of doing leadership. It’s going to be who represents change the most, who can show change is real before we even think of winning the council elections in 2017.”
Neither Mr McAveety nor Mr Curran are expected to publicly break ranks until the dust has settled over the national leadership outcomes.
Although both have broadly similar messages about a change in style, the need for more collegiate decision-making, reconnecting with their support in communities and providing an alternative to the SNP, the contest will also be pitched as ‘Old Labour’ McAveety versus ‘New Labour’ Curran.
Core nuts and bolts issues such as those around school transport, community concerns and friction with the trade unions and sections of the workforce will also figure in both men’s campaigns.
The post becomes available at a time when Labour’s grip on Glasgow has looked shakier than at any time since the 1970s. Despite an unexpected resounding triumph in 2012, the city voted Yes last September and elected seven SNP MPs in May.
A source close to Mr Matheson said: “Gordon announced weeks ago that whether or not he wins the deputy leadership he plans to move on to the next phase of his career and that the timing of his departure will allow for an orderly transition in the interests of the city and the Labour group.”
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