Names in the frame to lead Glasgow Labour at City Chambers
Councillor Redmond announced last month he was stepping down as leader of the opposition group.
His successor will be chosen by the 31 Labour councillors on Tuesday at the AGM in the city chambers.
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The two names going forward to the ballot are Jill Pidgeon councillor for Shettleston and Rashid Hussain, councillor for Pollok.
Both would be considered relatively inexperienced having only been elected in 2022 although Councillor Pidgeon has been on the poerful City Administration Committee and is education spokesperson for the group.
Councillor Hussain is a data analyst for BAE Systems. He sits on the Glasgow Licensing Board
Councillor Pidgeon is a director of a company Jill Pidgeon Digital and works for Glasgow South West Labour MP Zubir Ahmed.
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Councillor Pidgeon said:' A decade of disastrous SNP misrule has brought Glasgow to its knees - our schools and colleges are in crisis, robbing pupils of the chance to realise their potential and betraying our city's brilliant and hard-working teachers and lecturers. Our roads are in ruins, and families and communities across the city have been abandoned by Susan Aitken's SNP.
'As a mum with a child at a Glasgow school, I deeply understand the daily struggles families face. I know the worries parents have for their children, the concerns children have for ageing parents, and the anxiety about systems and structures that too often let people down. We urgently need change.'
She said she wants more investment in Glasgow, adding: 'Working alongside Labour colleagues at Holyrood and Westminster, I'll champion policies that attract inward investment, streamline planning processes, and build confidence among businesses looking to invest in Glasgow. This approach will accelerate the delivery of affordable housing, giving hope to those on waiting lists and incentivising housing associations to build the family homes we so desperately need.
'It's also important to acknowledge that if elected, I'd be proud to become the first female leader of Glasgow Labour for a long time - but my primary focus is clear: to champion Glasgow and fight for every family and community, to restore its ambition, and ensure it is a city that truly delivers for everyone.'
There will be a contest for the deputy leader as well.
John Carson and Stephen Docherty are the two names going forward for the post currently held by Soryia Siddique.
The Glasgow Times attempted to contact Councillor Rashid for comment.
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They want them out.' Sir Keir sent his congratulations to Mr Russell on his 'fantastic victory.' In a post on social media, the Prime Minister said: 'People in Scotland have once again voted for change. 'Next year, there is a chance to turbo-charge delivery by putting Labour in power on both sides of the border. I look forward to working with you.' Speaking in Edinburgh, Mr Swinney said: 'Clearly, we're disappointed that we didn't win last night, but we made progress in the election compared to the general election last summer, and we've got to build on that and make sure that we strengthen our support in advance of 2026. 'So the SNP made progress last night, but it's not nearly enough and we've got to build on that.' Asked if it was a mistake to call the by-election a 'two-horse race' between the SNP and Reform, he said: 'I called it the way I saw it.' The First Minister argued the Labour vote had collapsed compared to last year's general election and 'we saw the Reform vote surging, which it has.' But Mr Neil, who served in Alex Salmond's and Nicola Sturgeon's Cabinets, tweeted: 'Poor by-election result for the SNP despite having the best candidate 'It shows that the opinion polls appear wide of the mark. Most importantly, it shows the current SNP leadership needs to be replaced urgently.' The SNP under Mr Swinney was also routed in last year's general election. Labour won the by-election with 8,559 votes (31.6 per cent), despite its vote share declining by two percentage points compared to the 2021 Holyrood election result in the seat. The SNP finished second with 7,957 votes (29.4 per cent), a huge drop in support compared to 2021, when Ms McKelvie won 46.2 per cent of the popular vote. 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Miles Briggs, the shadow education secretary for the Scottish Tories, said the party knew it would be a 'difficult' by-election and blamed 'protest voting' for Reform and Labour. He told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: 'We know what that challenge is and we have no doubt of the fight that we have to take forward into the election next year.'
