Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard will take his party into the 2021 Holyrood elections after a no confidence vote in him was withdrawn.
The vote had been expected to take place at a meeting of the party’s governing body on Saturday.
However, it has been withdrawn meaning that he will remain leader of the party.
Four MSPs had called for Mr Leonard to step aside but the motion to unseat him has now failed.
It had been submitted to the party’s Scottish Executive Committee (SEC) asking it express that it had no confidence in Mr Leonard’s leadership.
Following the vote, Edinburgh councillor Scott Arthur, a member of the party’s Scottish Executive Committee, tweeted: “Richard Leonard has retained the support of the SEC and will take us into the Holyrood 2021 election.”
Richard Leonard has retained the support of the SEC and will take us into the Holyrood 2021 election. pic.twitter.com/aMniEfuefB
— Cllr Scott Arthur 🌍🌈 (@CllrScottArthur) September 12, 2020
In a statement, Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said: “It’s time for Scottish Labour to stand together and to stand with the Scottish people at a time when risks caused by the pandemic are rising again and when the economy is on the edge of a deep recession with jobs and livelihoods in peril.
“There must be an end to the internal plotting and we must unite to hold the Scottish Government to account and to offer a real alternative.”
He added: “I firmly believe that I am the best person to lead us into next year’s elections with a plan for jobs and real economic and social transformation which I know is shared by Keir Starmer.
“I have listened to the concerns expressed about me, I will treat those with respect and humility, and I will fight with every ounce of my being to improve the fortunes of the party in the run-up to next year’s election.
“We need unity not division.”