RICHARD Leonard will today try to face down the biggest crisis of his leadership, as he confronts Labour MSPs furious at his handling of his predecessor’s legal problems.
The Scottish Labour leader is expected to be challenged at a stormy meeting at Holyrood over his perceived failure to stand up to party HQ on behalf of Kezia Dugdale.
One party source said there was a “queue” of MSPs keen to speak out.
Ms Dugdale was left facing crippling bills to defend a defamation suit brought by Nationalist blogger Stuart Campbell after she was abandoned by her party last month.
Mr Campbell, who runs the Wings over Scotland website, is suing her for £25,000 after she accused him of making a “homophobic” remark about gay Tory MP David Mundell.
He strenuously denies the claim.
Ms Dugdale, who opposed Jeremy Corbyn becoming UK Labour leader, has insisted the party agreed to meet all her costs, then changed its mind when one of Mr Corbyn’s close supporter, Jennie Formby, became the new general secretary.
LGBT Labour Scotland yesterday said Ms Dugdale, who came out in 2016, had been “let down” by those more interested in “factional lines” than the issues involved.
It is understood most Labour MSPs voted last week to demand a reversal in the funding decision, but this was deleted from a public statement at Mr Leonard’s behest.
After the Labour MSP group wrote to Ms Formby last week, she replied saying the party only offered “initial support” to Ms Dugdale, and this commitment was honoured.
With the legal bills of almost £100,000 to date, and many further court stages to run, Ms Formby said it was “not sustainable to spend any further party funds on this case”.
She also noted Dugdale had made her remark writing in a “private capacity” for the Daily Record.
The paper has agreed to give Ms Dugdale legal support, but this is not understood to cover Mr Campbell’s damages and costs if she loses.
In a statement, LGBT Labour Scotland said the party had broken its promise to the Lothians MSP.
It said: “The Labour Party is the party that fundamentally believes in the values of solidarity, fairness and justice. We stand in solidarity with Kezia Dugdale and acknowledge the effort our leader in Scotland, Richard Leonard, made to support Kezia when the UK Labour Party decided to withdraw her support.”
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