Johann Lamont quits: Ed Miliband warned of 'catastrophic' damage to Labour

Explosive departure of the #Scottish #Labour leader leaves Ed #Miliband facing a struggle to convince Scotland to back his party in next year's general election Johann Lamont addresses supporters and journalists in Edinburgh, Scotland Ed Miliband has been warned that the sudden resignation of Labour’s Scottish leader has left the party in a state of crisis that could have a “catastrophic” impact on his chances of becoming prime minister next year. Johann Lamont quit late on Friday night, saying that Labour’s leadership in Westminster had undermined her, thwarted her attempts to reform the party and treated the Scottish Labour Party like a “branch office”.

Her departure, after weeks of sniping by some MPs, prompted a furious reaction yesterday from senior Labour figures north of the border over Mr Miliband’s role in her decision. Henry McLeish, a former Labour first minister of Scotland, said the party was now facing a problem of “historic, epic proportions”. “Labour in Westminster, Labour in London has not a clue about the realities of Scottish politics,” he said. “If there’s any hiccup in the number of MPs we send to Westminster in 2015 this could be catastrophic for Ed Miliband’s effort to become prime minister.” Lord McConnell, another former first minister, added he was “very, very angry” at the situation, and claimed Mr Miliband had questions to answer about Ms Lamont’s departure.