SCOTTISH Labour officials have made a last-ditch attempt to quash a planned no-confidence vote in Richard Leonard.
MSPs Jenny Marra and Mark Griffin have been accused of not representing the views of the Scottish Parliamentary Labour Party (SPLP) when they supported the vote, which is due at a meeting of the party's governing body tomorrow.
In an email, seen by The Herald, business manager Elaine Smith MSP has told the party chairwoman that Marra and Griffin "are not representing" what other Labour MSPs think and face bringing the party into disrepute by voting tomorrow.
Read more: Leonard facing no confidence vote at crunch Scottish Labour meeting
The email sent this afternoon states: "It's just been brought to my attention that the Scottish parliamentary Labour Party representatives on the SEC Jenny Marra MSP and Mark Griffin MSP have supported a motion of no confidence in the leader submitted for debate at a special meeting of the SEC tomorrow.
"They have not canvassed the views of the SPLP in the matter of any vote of no confidence in our leader Richard Leonard. The SPLP has not discussed any vote of no confidence, nor have the MSPs taken any vote in this regard.
"We had a meeting on Wednesday evening, and no attempt was made by any MSP to propose or move a vote of no confidence at that meeting."
Ms Smith said she had asked MSPs if they would support the no-confidence vote herself.
She wrote: "In my role as business manager I have canvassed the views of the majority of the SPLP, and I can advise you that the majority do not support a vote of no confidence in the party leader.
"In addition the Shadow Cabinet members agreed to remain in their positions and support Richard's leadership when I emailed them as business manager on September 2 2020.
"Any vote of no confidence in the democratically elected leader would not only be divisive and damaging to our electoral prospects but, in my view, would bring the party into disrepute."
The business manager stressed that the pary should be "concentrating our efforts on holding the SNP government to account and promoting our positive labor policies and should not be distracted from this purpose."
She concluded: "Jenny Mara, and Mark Griffin are not representing the position of the SPLP in submitting a motion of no confidence in the leader, as they have done yesterday, and will not be reflecting the view of SPLP if they vote for that motion at the special meeting tomorrow."
In response, Mr Griffin wrote to Scottish Labour chair Cara Hilton insisting he and Ms Marra were free to act as they saw fit at the SEC, and urged her to "disregard this highly irregular and unconstitutional intervention from the SPLP business manager".
He said Ms Smith's email "in my view undermines the principles in our standing orders that state the SPLP Executive and SEC reps are elected from non-shadow cabinet positions.
"All members of the SEC are there on an equal basis, with a single vote, and it is very concerning that an attempt would be made to undermine that principle.
"I would also note that a previous motion of no confidence in a Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, months before an election, was not described as bringing the party into disrepute by the current business manager but actively supported.
"The elected Group Executive have been contacted by members of the group, and members of the shadow cabinet, who have expressed that they have no confidence in the Leader of the Scottish Labour Party. Of those who have contacted members of the Group Executive this represents a clear majority.
"I have made my position clear, in private and public, and this has been known by the leadership team and wider group for over a month. This has meant there have been numerous opportunities for the group to make its dissatisfaction with my position clear but there has been no indication of that."
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