Gordon Matheson to stand for Holyrood

Gordon Matheson has confirmed he will seek election to the Scottish Parliament at next year’s election.

The Labour leader of Glasgow City Council had been rumoured to have been eyeing a step up to Holyrood, and is one of the candidates for the deputy leadership of Scottish Labour, a post which grants an automatic position at the top of the regional list.

In an interview for the next issue of Holyrood magazine Matheson was asked if he will stand next year.

"Are you going to stand next year for Holyrood?" he was asked.

“Yes” he replied, regardless of if he wins the deputy leadership or not.

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There has been speculation today that Matheson will quit as leader of the council within months after a number of councillors did not back his bid for the deputy leadership.

Labour has suffered a number of setbacks in Glasgow recently, not least the city voting yes in the independence referendum and then losing every one of its MPs in the city in May’s General Election.

“We are a party of change,” he told Holyrood. “We’re nothing if we’re not a movement for progressive change. It came to a head in the referendum when we were seen as on the opposite side of change. That’s been very difficult.”

Matheson believes he can win the city back.

He said: “I’ve never dodged a battle in my life. I’m under no illusions as to the challenge Labour faces.

“There are an awful lot of people who have previously voted Labour who are very disappointed in us, and actually they are disappointed and I think there’s a lot of hurt as well there.”

He pointed to his record leading the city, including bringing the Commonwealth Games to the city and securing a £1.13bn city deal for the region.

“I led Labour to victory in 2012 here in Glasgow, at a time when I don’t think there was a single commentator who thought we were going to win that election,” he said.

You can read the full interview in the next issue of Holyrood magazine out on July 6.