She will face off against Anas Sarwar to succeed Richard Leonard, with the party seeking its fifth leader since the 2014 independence referendum.

Scottish Labour’s executive has agreed a condensed timescale for the leadership contest, with a winner expected to be announced by the end of February.

With the party languishing in the polls ahead of May’s Holyrood election, Labour’s constitutional stance has once again been called into question.

This is what the leadership contenders have had to say about Scottish independence and a second referendum.

Anas Sarwar

The Glasgow MSP, considered the frontrunner in the contest, is a hardline Unionist and wants to block a second referendum for at least five years.

Speaking as Scottish Labour’s shadow constitution secretary in November, he said the party will go into the 2021 election “clearly” rejecting a referendum during the pandemic.

“You’ve got to recognise that, ultimately, it’s for the people of Scotland to decide their own future,” he said. “That’s a fundamental principle, a democratic principle, one that I support, and one that I hope every political party and every politician would support.”

Sarwar added: “But at the same time as that, we’ve got to recognise that we are not going back to the old arguments of 2014. We are going through a pandemic that has changed the world, and has changed Scotland, and our focus for the next four or five years has to be coming through this pandemic, rebuilding our economy, getting people back into work, fixing our education system that has sadly broken under this Government, and rebuilding our national health service.

“That has got to be the priority for the next four or five years.”

READ MORE: Labour say they'll oppose a new Scottish independence vote until 2026

Asked if Labour will oppose a new vote for the entirety of the next parliamentary term, he said “yes”.

Sarwar reaffirmed his opposition to indyref2 as he announced his candidacy in an article for the Observer.

“We must rebuild Scottish Labour because our opponents – the SNP and Tories – want to take our country back to the divisive politics of old,” he wrote. “I firmly believe we cannot go back to society as it was before the pandemic – insecure work, hollowed out public services, an underfunded health service and the constant focus on another independence referendum when there are far more important things we need to be dealing with.”

Monica Lennon

The Central Scotland MSP was among the senior Labour figures to break with party policy on a second referendum after Labour’s disastrous 2019 General Election.

Although she remains anti-independence, she is in favour of indyref2.

Speaking to the Daily Record in the aftermath of the General Election, she said: “People in Scotland have voted in very large numbers for the SNP, including many Labour voter.

“As expected, Nicola Sturgeon is presenting that as an endorsement of her party and will now ask the UK Government to permit a second referendum on independence.

“If Boris Johnson isn’t prepared to grant this request, he should allow the Scottish Parliament to decide.”

READ MORE: Labour frontbencher Monica Lennon backs second independence referendum

However, the MSP added: “The SNP blueprint for independence is flawed and will disappoint many progressive Scots who are fed up with austerity. Nevertheless, the future of Scotland must be decided by the people of Scotland.”

The Central Scotland MSP expanded on her support for indyref2 during an appearance on BBC Scotland’s Debate Night a month later.

SNP depute leader Keith Brown said he was “very pleased to welcome” Lennon’s support for the principle that Scots should be given the opportunity to decide their own future.

Sarwar and Lennon require the support of at least four of the party’s MSPs or its sole Scottish MP to be formally nominated.

Members and affiliated supporters will be able to cast their votes from February 9 until ballots close on February 26. The new leader will then be announced the following day.