CATHY JAMIESON, the former justice minister, has emerged as the surprise frontrunner to succeed Wendy Alexander as Scottish Labour leader among party activists, unions and influential MSPs.

A survey of constituency office-bearers has put Jamieson, the current deputy leader, ahead of potential rivals, including Andy Kerr, who is considered the favourite for the job.

The poll of 40 of Labour’s 60 constituency party secretaries found Jamieson ahead, backed by 10 officials, followed by Margaret Curran with six, Iain Gray with five, Kerr on four and Charlie Gordon with one. The rest were undecided or refused to comment.

Jamieson is expected to win the backing of Unison, Scotland’s biggest trade union which, although it sponsors Kerr, believes its members have more in common ideologically with her. In addition, she has won the backing of Tom McCabe, the senior Labour MSP and political fixer who organised Alexander’s successful leadership campaign last year.

Jamieson is hostile to the idea of a referendum on independence and her election would result in Labour withdrawing its support.

The SNP’s victory last May has led many Labour activists to demand a leadership shift to the left, which they believe Jamieson could bring about.

“We can only beat the nationalists from the left. If we just run another typical new Labour campaign like we did at the last election we’ll be destroyed,” said one party secretary. “We need to get back to being a socialist party again.”

Jamieson is also attracting the support of moderate Labour MSPs who backed previous leadership campaigns by Jack McConnell, the former first minister. Supporters of Jamieson denied the vegan MSP would take Labour to the left.

“It is an astonishing idea that having lost a large section of middle-class Scotland to the SNP and Tories that Cathy wo-uld lurch to the left,” said one.

“The people calling for that are the same people who said getting rid of Tony Blair would allow us to reconnect with voters, and look what happened.

“Cathy is winning support among MSPs because people know that, while she’s still got core values, like John Prescott and Robin Cook, she adjusted her politics to the realities of the modern world long ago. Backing private prisons and privatising prisoner transfers when she was justice minister are hardly the hallmark of a leftie.”

Kerr, who can count on the support of McConnell, has revealed to friends that he is cool on the idea of standing.

“Andy could conceivably still be prevailed upon to stand, but he will not be putting himself forward voluntarily. He would have to be dragged into the contest kicking and screaming. I don’t think he wants the hassle,” said one.

While Gray, the party’s shadow finance spokesman, is trailing Jamieson among local officials, he remains a strong contender, having secured the support of Lothian MSPs and MPs, including Alistair Darling, the chancellor.

The leader will be selected after three ballots of Labour members. The choices of all Labour MSPs, Scottish Labour MPs and and Scottish Labour MEPs will make up one-third of the votes.

Another third will come from ordinary party members and a further third will come affiliated trade unions and societies who must ballot their Scottish members on a one-member, one-vote basis.

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