Kezia Dugdale has today unveiled her new front bench team. The Scottish Labour leader said campaigning against the SNP Government’s cuts and for using the powers of the Parliament to invest in the future of our economy will be the key approach of her front bench team over the next five years.
Dugdale herself will take on the finance brief, placing Labour’s anti-austerity message at the heart of the party’s campaigning. There is a 50-50 gender balance in the shadow cabinet, which contains four new appointments – Anas Sarwar, Lewis Macdonald, Claudia Beamish and Rhoda Grant.
All six of the party’s new MSPs have been appointed to roles within the front bench team. North East MSP Jenny Marra will be Labour’s first nominee for a committee convenership.
Kezia Dugdale said:
“The big issue in Scottish politics over the next few years is how the Scottish Government uses the powers of the Parliament to stop the cuts and invest in the future. By taking on the finance role myself I am showing just how important our anti-austerity message is to the Labour Party. To build the kind of economy we need to create a better future for our young people we need to invest in education. That’s what I will focus on in the next few years.
This is a strong front-bench team that will hold the SNP Government to account and set out Labour’s positive vision for investing in the future of Scotland. We will work constructively on areas where we agree with the government. Having lost their majority the SNP Government will face a big choice – they can either work with centre-left parties like Labour to stop the cuts and invest in our economy, or they can work with the Tories who want government to cut more and invest less.”
Scottish Labour’s full front bench team is as follows:
- Leader and Finance Spokesperson
Kezia Dugdale - Deputy Leader and Community, Social Security and Equalities spokesperson
Alex RowleyShadow Community Ministers
Mark Griffin
Pauline McNeill - Education, Skills and Science spokesperson
Iain GrayShadow Education Minister
Daniel Johnson - Health spokesperson
Anas SarwarShadow Health Minister
Colin SmythShadow Minister for Inequality (working across the Health and Education teams)
Monica Lennon - Culture, Sport, Tourism and External spokesperson
Lewis Macdonald - Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform spokesperson
Claudia BeamishShadow Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform
David Stewart - Rural Economy and Connectivity spokesperson
Rhoda GrantShadow Minister for Transport and Town Centres
Neil Bibby - Economy, Fair Work and Jobs spokesperson
Jackie BaillieShadow Economy Minister
Richard Leonard - Justice spokesperson
Claire BakerShadow Minister for Justice
Mary Fee - Parliamentary Business Manager and Minister Without Portfolio
James KellyWhips
Mark Griffin
Colin Smyth
Neil Findlay? Elaine Smith? Official email to the members with this announcement?