Michael Marra has announced that he will stand to become leader of the Scottish Labour Party. The party's finance spokesman said he would unite and renew Labour after May's election defeat.
The announcement comes a day after Monica Lennon said that she would fight for the role. Last Wednesday, Anas Sarwar confirmed he was stepping down as leader to become Minister of State for Trade in Andy Burnham's government.
Sarwar, who has led the Scottish Labour Party since 2021, said he would work with his successor to serve people in Scotland. The party's ruling body, the Scottish Executive Committee, said a new leader would be in place by its conference on 19 September.
Nominations will formally open for two weeks on Monday 3 August. Party members and supporters will be balloted on the leadership race from 28 August until 17 September.
What did Marra say about the leadership bid?
Marra pledged to restore the party after it had "gone backwards six Holyrood elections in a row".
The North East MSP said:
"The promise of our Scottish Labour Party is that we build a better, more equal nation, and we leave it as a legacy for our children.
"That is a moral purpose. But too often it can become clouded in the day to day of our politics.
"In this moment of renewal for our party, we must restate that purpose. But we also have to listen. We have to learn. And we have to change."
Marra said a "better, more equal Scotland" was his driving ambition.
"It's what motivates me to stand up for the people I grew up with here in Dundee.
"It's what drives me as I campaign for change across Scotland. It's why I'm standing to be the leader of the Scottish Labour Party."
Marra has been an MSP for the North East since 2021. He comes from a Labour family, and was elected to the seat his sister Jenny had held for a decade.
He previously worked for Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray as an adviser prior to and during the 2011 Scottish Parliamentary election.
Marra has placed himself within the "soft left" of the Labour party and played a key role writing Scottish Labour's 2026 election manifesto.
Why is Monica Lennon standing?
On Sunday, Monica Lennon announced that she would stand to become leader of Scottish Labour.
The incoming Glasgow MSP lost her seat in this year's Holyrood election but returned to parliament after Anas Sarwar opened up a regional seat when he stepped down from Holyrood.
Writing in the Sunday Mail, Lennon said her party needed "radical and fast change" or risked facing "oblivion".
"Anyone looking objectively at our party today would conclude a harsh reality. We are in the last chance saloon."
Lennon was first elected as an MSP for the Central Scotland area in 2016.
She spearheaded legislation that made Scotland the first country in the world to provide free period products for all, and in the last parliamentary session she campaigned for an ecocide bill.
What happened after Sarwar stepped down?
After stepping down, Sarwar said in a statement on social media he was "delighted" to join the UK government and it had been "an honour" to serve people in Glasgow, where he was an MSP, and across Scotland.
King Charles confirmed Sarwar would be granted a peerage so he could join the House of Lords.
Sarwar's decision was criticised by opposition politicians, who called it "hypocritical" as he had previously called for the House of Lords to be scrapped.
He said he was "disappointed and sorry" for Scottish Labour's poor performance in the Scottish Parliament elections in May, adding:
"I take my fair share of responsibility for that."
Scottish Labour won just 17 seats out of 129, a record low for the party.
Scottish Labour's acting leader Jackie Baillie thanked Sarwar for his "leadership and friendship".
Baillie said he led the party with integrity and a vision to build a fairer and more equal Scotland.
She said:
"The Scottish Executive Committee have tonight agreed a timetable for the election of the next leader of the Scottish Labour Party.
"The agreed process guarantees a fair and open contest, while ensuring we are able to progress at pace and elect a new leader without delay."
