THE former Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray has announced he is to leave Holyrood.

The East Lothian MSP has told his party he will not contest the seat again next year.

Mr Gray, 63, was Labour leader from 2008 to 2011, and has been at Holyrood for 17 years.

He was first elected in 1999 in Edinburgh Pentlands, lost the seat to then Tory leader David McLetchie, and returned to parliament as the MSP for East Lothian in 2007.

He took over the party’s reins after the chaotic departure of Wendy Alexander after barely a year in the post, and led Labour to its then worst election result in 2011.

Besides conceding an overall majority to Alex Salmond, Mr Gray was humiliated on the campaign trail after being trapped in a sandwich shop by serial protestor Sean Clerkin.

After initially trying to make the election about the Tories, Scottish Labour was also forced to relaunch mid-campaign to focus on the SNP, but too late, and fell from 46 seats to 37.

It would go on to lose another 13 seats in the 2016 election.

A former social justice and enterprise minister in the first term of Holyrood, Mr Gray is currently his party’s education spokesman.

In an email to local party members, he said: “The decision to stand down is not an easy one, and was made even harder by the incredibly difficult circumstances we have all faced over the last three months. 

“However, I will be 64 next year, almost 69 by the end of the next parliament and  after more than 20 years at the frontline of Scottish politics, next year is the right time for me to step aside and hand over to someone else to represent East Lothian’s interests.

“I really, genuinely do want to spend more time with my family, especially my wife Gil who has supported me unstintingly through all the ups and downs of political life, and the seven fantastic grandchildren with whom I am now blessed.”

He added: “I often say that East Lothian is the best constituency in Scotland, and the best place in Scotland to live, and I mean it. 

“I had the privilege of being part of the first Scottish Parliament intake in 1999, before East Lothian gave me the opportunity to return to Holyrood in 2007 and then serve as my party’s leader, and I will always be grateful for that.

“I will, of course, continue to serve as the county’s MSP for the rest of my term and intend to do so to the best of my ability until the election in May next year.”

Mr Gray’s departure means a fierce internal selection battle for one of just three constituencies currently held by Labour at Holyrood.

Mr Gray won East Lothian by just 1,127 votes over the SNP in 2016 thanks in large part to his personal profile and a large Labour social club in the constituency.

The equivalent Westminster seat was gained by Martin Whitfield for Labour from the SNP in 2017, but former justice secretary Kenny MacAskill took it back for the SNP in 2019.

Having been the area’s MP for two years, Mr Whitfield is now being encouraged to take a tilt at the Holyrood seat for Labour.

Meanwhile controversial former Edinburgh West MP Michelle Thomson, who tried to be the SNP’s candidate in 2019, could take a second shot at the candidacy for the Nationalists.

The opening in East Lothian could also be a blessing for the SNP as it faces an internal feud between allies of Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond.

With former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson leaving her Edinburgh Central seat in 2021, the two SNP camps were set for a battle royale over the candidacy in the constituency. 

Before the Covid outbreak paused the selectiion process, MP Joanna Cherry QC, who is backed by Mr Salmond, was squaring up against Ms Sturgeon's ally Angus Robertson in a winner-take-all fight.

However East Lothian seat could be an attractive alternative candidacy for the two Edinburgh-based combatants.

Colin Yorkston, Chair of East Lothian Labour Party, said:  “Iain has been an absolutely outstanding MSP for East Lothian, both in the way he has stood up for us at Holyrood and how he has helped people here in the constituency.

“Whether it was fighting to save Haddington’s courts, campaigning for our new community hospital to be built or opposing cuts to East Lothian Council’s funding, he has always defended the area’s interests and fought for it to get its fair share from government.

“Local party members will be sad to see him stand down and he will certainly be a very hard act to follow at Holyrood.”

He said East Lothian Labour Party would start the process of choosing someone to succeed Mr Gray as its local candidate over the coming weeks.