Could an Englishman ever be First Minister of Scotland? That’s the question the Scottish Labour party are having to grapple with this week after Richard Leonard announced his candidacy to succeed Kezia Dugdale as leader. A former trade union organiser and chair of Scottish Labour’s executive, Leonard sounds like the perfect Corbyn candidate – until you get to the fact that he is also English.
Leonard’s opponents have been quick to jump on his nationality – briefing out that his English heritage is no small fry. They claim his Yorkshire accent could make it ‘hard’ for him to ‘connect’ with the people the party must win over to increase their vote share. One opponent goes so far as to say that picking an Englishman would be ‘disastrous’. The Conservatives – the supposed party of the union – have also got in on the action, with one senior Scottish Conservative joking that Ruth Davidson is ‘authentic, working class and Scottish’ compared to the Labour candidates.
Even if slightly hyperbolic, they’re not wrong to point out that pitching an English candidate presents unique challenges.
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