Dundee councillor Lesley Brennan to be sworn in as MSP

Holyrood’s newest MSP is to be sworn in with just four months to go until the Scottish election.

Scottish Labour’s Lesley Brennan replaces her party colleague Richard Baker, who stood down on Monday to take a new job with charity Age Scotland.

North East of Scotland list MSP Mr Baker had planned to quit the Scottish Parliament at the election in May.

The party has nominated Dundee councillor Ms Brennan – the next person on the North East list – to replace him.

She will face a tough battle to hold on to the seat in May in a shortlist which includes former Labour minister Lewis Macdonald and front-bencher Jenny Marra.

Speaking on Monday, Ms Brennan said: “I want to pay tribute to the work of Richard Baker throughout the years.

“He has been a tireless champion for social justice throughout his career and I wish him well with Age Scotland.

“These are challenging times for Scottish Labour but in Kez Dugdale we have a new leader who is best-placed to regain the trust of the people of Scotland.”