Richard Leonard

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Richard Leonard (born January 1962) is a British politician who led the Scottish Labour Party from 2017 to 2021. He has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Central Scotland since 2016, elected from the regional list. Leonard grew up in Yorkshire and studied Politics and Economics at the University of Stirling after moving to Scotland in the 1980s. He worked for the Labour Party and for trade unions before entering elected politics, including a stint as Chair of the Scottish Labour Party in 2002–2003 when he opposed the Iraq War.

In 2017 he won the Scottish Labour leadership, defeating Anas Sarwar, and led the party with a left‑wing, pro‑union stance aligned with Jeremy Corbyn. As leader, he reshuffled the frontbench in 2018 but faced criticism after poor results in the 2019 European Parliament and UK general elections. A motion of no confidence in his leadership failed in 2020, and he stepped down in January 2021. He stood in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election in Airdrie and Shotts, finishing second, but remained an MSP via the Central Scotland regional list.

Leonard is married to Karen and has one son and one stepdaughter. He supports higher public spending, tax reform, and the nationalisation of railways and bus services. He has opposed a second Scottish independence referendum and supported Scotland remaining in the EU after Brexit. In 2024 he spoke at Gaza‑related protests in Glasgow.