SCOTTISH Labour leftwingers gave a “red salute” to Neil Findlay as he announced his resignation from the party’s front bench and that he would be standing down from Holyrood in 2021.

The Lothian MSP said that he had been considering his position as the party’s Brexit spokesperson and business manager for six months.

Following discussions with his family and friends, he decided in March that he would leave.

In his resignation letter, Mr Findlay expressed his anger over “eternal internal fighting” and the “toxic culture of leaks and briefings” within Scottish Labour.

He also added that the Scottish wing of the party needed to have a “clear and easily understood position” on constitutional questions.

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said he was “very sorry” that Mr Findlay was stepping down and praised his “outstanding” work as an MSP.

He added: “Tony Benn famously left the House of Commons to spend more time on politics, and I am sure that this approach will be a very good precedent for the next phase of your contribution.”

Mr Findlay was a Labour councillor in West Lothian before becoming an MSP in 2011.

He has been a longstanding ally of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and was closely involved in Mr Leonard’s Scottish leadership campaign in 2018.

In a statement, the Campaign for Socialism said that they wished to show their “absolute gratitude” to Mr Findlay, who formerly served as convenor of the Scottish Labour internal organisation.

“Neil has been a formidable stalwart of our organisation and the socialist movement for years,” it said.

“Without his efforts and the legacy of his bold leadership campaign it is clear to us that the future which brought us Jeremy Corbyn and Richard Leonard may have never come to pass.

“We will continue to work with Neil for many years to come and it is more important now than ever that we stand behind the exciting new political direction of our party and do not allow those who will stop at nothing to destabilise socialism within Labour from regaining a foothold.”

A spokesperson for Scottish Young Labour described the resignation as “absolutely devastating news.”

They added: “Thank you for your years of service comrade — red salute.”