Richard Leonard facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Richard Leonard MSP
Official portrait, 2016
Leader of the Scottish Labour Party
In office 18 November 2017 – 14 January 2021
Deputy	Lesley Laird Jackie Baillie
UK party leader	Jeremy Corbyn Keir Starmer
Preceded by	Kezia Dugdale
Succeeded by	Anas Sarwar
Convener of the Public Audit Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office 23 June 2021
Preceded by	Jenny Marra
Member of the Scottish Parliament for Central Scotland (1 of 7 Regional MSPs)
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 May 2016
Scottish Labour portfolios
2016–2017	Shadow Minister for Economy
2018–2021	Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work
Personal details
Born	January 1962 (age 63) Westow, East Riding of Yorkshire, England
Political party	Scottish Labour
Spouse	Karen Leonard
Children	1 son, 1 stepdaughter
Education	Pocklington School
Alma mater	University of Stirling

Richard Leonard (born in January 1962) is a British politician. He was the leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 2017 to 2021. He has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Central Scotland region since 2016.

Richard Leonard believes in socialist ideas. This means he supports policies that aim to create a fairer society. He also believes in democracy and working with other countries.

Early Life and Education

Richard Leonard was born in January 1962 in Westow, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. He grew up in the town of Malton. His father was a tailor and a member of a trade union. His mother took care of him and his two sisters.

From age 11, Richard went to Pocklington School, a private school. He received a scholarship to attend. One of his first jobs as a boy was picking potatoes. He was inspired by political books and thinkers from a young age.

Richard studied Politics and Economics at the University of Stirling in Scotland. While there, he was part of the Labour club and led the Students' Association. After university, he worked for five years as an aide to Alex Falconer, who was a Member of the European Parliament.

He then worked for the Scottish Trades Union Congress for five years. After that, he spent 20 years working for GMB Scotland. In this role, he helped workers, including women and young people, with their rights and pay.

Starting in Politics

Richard Leonard was very active in the Scottish Labour Party throughout his career. From 2002 to 2003, he was the Chair of the Scottish Labour Party. During this time, he spoke out against the Iraq War. He even marched in protests against it.

In 2011, Richard ran for a seat in the Scottish Parliament for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley. He did not win that election.

In the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, he ran for Airdrie and Shotts. He was not elected for that specific area. However, he became an MSP as one of the additional members for the Central Scotland region.

After becoming an MSP, he was given a role as Shadow Economy Minister. This meant he was part of the Scottish Labour Party's team that challenges the government on economic issues. He also supported Jeremy Corbyn in the 2016 UK Labour Party leadership election.

Leader of Scottish Labour

Becoming Leader in 2017

In 2017, the previous Scottish Labour leader, Kezia Dugdale, resigned. This led to an election to choose a new leader. Richard Leonard ran against Anas Sarwar.

On 18 November 2017, Richard Leonard was elected as the new Leader of the Scottish Labour Party. He won with 56.7% of the votes.

Soon after he became leader, Kezia Dugdale announced she was joining a reality TV show. This caused some discussion within the party. It was decided she would not be suspended. She later expressed regret and donated some of her earnings to charity.

Early Time as Leader: 2017–2019

Richard Leonard was an ally of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn

In December 2017, Richard Leonard announced his new team of spokespeople, known as the Shadow Cabinet. Jackie Baillie was appointed as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work. His former rival, Anas Sarwar, remained as Shadow Health and Sport Secretary.

Richard Leonard showed his support for Jeremy Corbyn, the UK Labour leader. He said he voted for Corbyn in both the 2015 and 2016 leadership elections. Under his leadership, Scottish Labour adopted the slogan "For the Many, Not the Few," which was also used by the UK Labour Party.

Richard Leonard also took part in protests against visits by US President Donald Trump to Scotland. He spoke out against Trump's views on women and minorities.

In October 2018, Richard Leonard changed some roles in his Shadow Cabinet. He took on the role of Shadow Economy Secretary himself. He said these changes were needed to make his team stronger and more united.

Elections and Resignation: 2019–2021

Richard Leonard led Scottish Labour into the 2019 European Parliament election. The party had two seats in Scotland from the previous election. However, in 2019, Scottish Labour lost both its seats. They received 9.3% of the vote, coming in fifth place.

After this result, Richard Leonard said he would support the UK remaining in the European Union. This was a change from the UK Labour Party's earlier position of seeking a "soft Brexit."

He also led the Labour campaign in Scotland during the 2019 United Kingdom general election. The party aimed to invest more money in Scottish public services. However, Scottish Labour lost most of the seats it had gained in 2017. The party was left with only one seat in Scotland.

After the 2019 general election, Richard Leonard's deputy, Lesley Laird, resigned. Jackie Baillie was then elected as the new deputy leader in April 2020.

Some members of the party called for Richard Leonard to resign. They felt the election results were poor. However, he said he would continue to lead. He resigned as Scottish Labour leader on 14 January 2021. He stated it was the "right one for me and for the party" before the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.

After Leadership

After stepping down as leader, Richard Leonard continued as an MSP. He ran again in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election for Airdrie and Shotts. He finished second in that area. However, he was again elected as an MSP for the Central Scotland regional list.

He now serves as the Convener of the Public Audit Committee in the Scottish Parliament.

Political Beliefs

Richard Leonard speaking at a Labour Party event in 2018

Richard Leonard describes himself as a "socialist, democrat and internationalist." This means he believes in:

• Socialism: Focusing on fairness, equality, and public services for everyone.
• Democracy: The importance of people having a say in how they are governed.
• Internationalism: Working with other countries and supporting global cooperation.

He is known for his left-wing views. He wants to change the Scottish economy to be more planned and long-term. He is a long-time member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), which is against nuclear weapons.

Richard Leonard believes that Scotland staying in the United Kingdom is better than leaving. He is against a second Scottish independence referendum. He thinks the 2014 referendum, where Scotland voted to stay in the UK, was a decision for a generation.

As a former trade unionist, he believes the Scottish Government should support trade unions. He also wants to ensure a fair living wage for all workers on public contracts. He supports making public transport like trains and buses more affordable, even free for all. He also wants to replace council tax with a property and land tax. This would mean those with more wealth and land pay more.

Images for kids

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  Official portrait, 2016

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  Richard Leonard was an ally of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn

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  Richard Leonard speaking at a Labour Party event in 2018

• Scottish Parliament profiles of MSPs: Richard Leonard
• Profile page on the Scottish Labour Party website