Richard Leonard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard Leonard
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Official portrait, 2016
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| Leader of the Scottish Labour Party | |
| In office 18 November 2017 – 14 January 2021 |
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| Deputy |
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| UK party leader | |
| Preceded by | Kezia Dugdale |
| Succeeded by | Anas Sarwar |
| Convener of the Public Audit Committee | |
| Assumed office 23 June 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Jenny Marra |
| Member of the Scottish Parliament for Central Scotland (1 of 7 Regional MSPs) |
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| Assumed office 5 May 2016 |
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| 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 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 area since 2016. He believes in ideas like socialism, democracy, and internationalism.
Richard Leonard grew up in Yorkshire, England. He earned a scholarship to attend Pocklington School. In the 1980s, he moved to Scotland to study Politics and Economics at the University of Stirling. After university, he worked for a politician and then for trade unions. Trade unions are groups that help workers get fair pay and good conditions. He was also the Chair of the Scottish Labour Party from 2002 to 2003. He became an MSP in 2016.
In 2017, Richard Leonard was chosen as the leader of the Scottish Labour Party. He took over from Kezia Dugdale. He was known for moving the party more to the left in its ideas. He stepped down as leader in January 2021.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Richard Leonard was born in January 1962 in Westow, England. He grew up in 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, he went to Pocklington School, a private school, because he received a scholarship. As a young boy, he picked potatoes for his first job. He was inspired by political books and ideas from writers like Tony Benn and William Morris.
Richard Leonard studied Politics and Economics at the University of Stirling in Scotland. He was involved in student politics and was president of the Students' Association. After graduating, he worked for five years as an assistant to Alex Falconer, who was a Member of the European Parliament.
Working for Trade Unions
After working for a politician, Richard Leonard spent five years as a leader at the Scottish Trades Union Congress. This group helps different trade unions work together. Then, for 20 years, he worked for GMB Scotland, a large trade union. In this job, he helped many workers, including women, apprentices, and young people who were not paid enough.
Starting His Political Journey
Richard Leonard was always active in the Scottish Labour Party. He helped with election campaigns, including one in 1997 where his party won a seat in Stirling. He was the Chair of the Scottish Labour Party from 2002 to 2003. During this time, he spoke out against the war in Iraq.
He ran for a seat in the Scottish Parliament in 2011 but did not win. In the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, he ran again and was elected as an MSP for the Central Scotland region. Soon after becoming an MSP, he was given a role as a Shadow Economy Minister. He also supported Jeremy Corbyn in the 2016 UK Labour Party leadership election.
Leading the Scottish Labour Party
Becoming Party Leader in 2017
The 2017 Scottish Labour Party leadership election happened because the previous leader, Kezia Dugdale, resigned. Richard Leonard was seen as more left-wing than his opponent, Anas Sarwar. Many people supported him, including famous comic book writer Mark Millar. On November 18, 2017, Richard Leonard was announced 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 because she would be away from the Scottish Parliament. It was decided she would not be suspended but received a warning. She later donated her earnings from the show and her MSP salary during that time to charity.
Early Years as Leader: 2017–2019
In December 2017, Richard Leonard announced his new team of spokespeople, called the Shadow Cabinet. These people speak for the party on different topics. He kept Anas Sarwar as the Shadow Health and Sport Secretary. Neil Findlay, who was close to Leonard and Jeremy Corbyn, became the Shadow Brexit and Constitutional Relations Secretary.
Richard Leonard said he was not just a "Corbynista" (a strong supporter of Jeremy Corbyn). However, in a speech in 2018, he said he voted for Corbyn to be leader because he believed Scotland needed a strong Labour government. Under his leadership, Scottish Labour used the slogan "For the Many, Not the Few," which was also used by the UK Labour Party.
When Donald Trump, the former President of the United States, visited Scotland in 2018 and 2019, Richard Leonard joined protests against the visit. He spoke at rallies, expressing his disagreement with Trump's views.
In 2018, there was a disagreement within the party about funding for Kezia Dugdale's legal case. Some members criticized the decision to cut funding. Richard Leonard made some changes to his Shadow Cabinet in October 2018. He said these changes were needed to make his team stronger and more united.
In 2019, after Kezia Dugdale left the Scottish Parliament, Sarah Boyack took her place and Richard Leonard appointed her as Shadow Local Government Secretary. He also brought in Joe Cullinane to help with campaigns. Leonard said these additions would make his team stronger, but he knew Scottish Labour still needed to work hard to win back voters.
There was also a discussion about a possible second Scottish independence referendum. John McDonnell, a senior Labour politician, said a Labour government would not block a referendum if the Scottish Parliament voted for one. Richard Leonard and other Scottish Labour members disagreed with this. Jeremy Corbyn then made a statement that a Scottish Parliament vote alone would not be enough for a new referendum. Both Leonard and McDonnell accepted Corbyn's decision.
Elections and Challenges: 2019
Richard Leonard led Scottish Labour into the 2019 European Parliament election. The party had two seats in Scotland from the previous election. Scottish Labour wanted a "soft Brexit," meaning a less strict departure from the European Union. However, this was challenged by other parties who wanted to stay in the EU or leave completely.
The election results were announced in May 2019. Scottish Labour lost both its seats and came in fifth place. After this, Richard Leonard took responsibility and said he would support staying in the European Union, even though the UK Labour Party had a different view. Some members of his team resigned because of the poor results and lack of clear direction on Brexit.
In the 2019 United Kingdom general election, Richard Leonard led the Labour campaign in Scotland. The party promised to invest a lot of money in Scottish public services. During the campaign, Jeremy Corbyn faced some protests during his visits to Scotland.
In the end, Scottish Labour lost most of its seats in the 2019 general election, keeping only one. Richard Leonard apologized for the results. He said he would continue as leader and listen to the concerns of the party members.
New Deputy Leader and Resignation: 2020–2021
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. She had been critical of the party's election strategy.
Some members of the party, including George Foulkes and James Kelly, called for Richard Leonard to resign. Leonard said his critics had never supported him and were trying to cause problems. He said he would fight to keep his leadership. A motion to remove him was proposed but did not get enough support and was withdrawn.
On January 14, 2021, Richard Leonard resigned as Scottish Labour leader. He said it was a difficult decision but the right one for him and the party before the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. Keir Starmer, the UK Labour leader, thanked Richard for his service.
Later Political Career
Richard Leonard ran again in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election for the Airdrie and Shotts area. He came in second place. However, he was still elected as an MSP for the Central Scotland region.
In March 2025, he announced that he would step down as an MSP at the next Scottish Parliament election in 2026.
Richard Leonard's Political Views
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Richard Leonard describes himself as a "socialist, democrat, and internationalist." Journalists often describe him as left-wing. His supporters say his politics are about helping people and making big changes. He is a long-time member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), which is against nuclear weapons.
He wants to change the Scottish economy to be more planned and long-term. He has been called a "Marxist" by some, but he says his politics are a mix of "Scottish radicalism" and other ideas.
Richard Leonard believes that Scotland leaving the United Kingdom would create more problems than the UK leaving the European Union. He is against a second Scottish independence referendum, saying the 2014 vote (where Scotland voted to stay in the UK) was a "once in a generation" event. Even though Scotland voted to stay in the European Union in 2016, Leonard initially supported a "soft Brexit" for the UK. After the poor election results in 2019, he changed his view to support the UK remaining in the EU.
As a former trade unionist, Richard Leonard believes the Scottish Government should work closely with trade unions and ensure fair wages on all public projects. He supports Scotland's farming industry and wants to achieve full employment in the Highlands and Islands. He also believes in reducing the length of the work week.
He thinks there is "unfinished business" with land reform in Scotland. He wants to replace the council tax with a property and land tax. This would mean people with more wealth and land would pay more taxes. He also wants to make Scottish railways and bus services public, with the goal of making bus travel free for everyone.
In September 2024, Richard Leonard attended a protest in Glasgow. The protest was about the conflict in Gaza and Lebanon. He posted photos from the demonstration on social media, calling for "Hands off Lebanon. End the siege of Gaza."
