JOE FAGAN formally launched his bid for the Scottish Labour leadership yesterday with a call for the party “to be bold, to be confident” after May’s record losses at Holyrood.

The launch in Glasgow came as he secured the support of the GMB union, taking him another step towards reaching his target of three affiliate nominations – two from trade unions – which he needs to book a spot on the ballot.

“For two Budgets in a row, while other parties forced concessions from the SNP, we sat on the sidelines,” he told supporters, promising to work with the SNP to pass its budget if five tests are met, the first being progress on bringing buses “back under public control” and a £2 cap on fares.

He argued that “hundreds of thousands of Scots rely on buses every day to get to work, to school, to hospital appointments and to see their families,” and there are “too many communities losing out on services, with buses cut and passenger numbers down.”

“If I am elected leader, we will take a different approach and it starts with a serious offer to John Swinney and the SNP government,” he said.

Announcing its nomination, GMB Scotland secretary Louise Gimour said: “All the candidates in the contest have strong Labour values and are clearly ambitious for the party but our political committee representing members believes Joe Fagan best represents their priorities. 

“Scottish Labour is at a crossroads and this leadership contest must set the party’s future path with new ideas and fresh thinking.”

Rival Michael Marra meanwhile became the first to formally secure his place on the ballot, after meeting both the parliamentary and affiliate quota having won support from the NUM, Aslef and Young Labour.

With the support of Unison, the Co-op Party and a likely nomination from Unite, Monica Lennon also appears set to meet the criteria for affiliate nominations. But the Campaign for Socialism candidate still faces an anxious weekend as she works to win one more signature from a Scottish Labour MP and one more from her Holyrood colleagues.

So far, only two of Scottish Labour’s 17 MSPs have yet to formally nominate — Glasgow’s Pauline McNeill, who had previously indicated support for Michael Marra, and South of Scotland’s Carol Mochan.

Nominations close at noon on Monday.