Scottish Labour has officially confirmed the candidates who will go head to head in the race to replace Anas Sarwar as party leader.
Sarwar announced he was stepping down from the top job, triggering a leadership contest that will shape the direction of the party north of the border for years to come.
The confirmation of candidates marks the formal start of a contest that Scottish Labour will be hoping can reinvigorate the party at Holyrood, where it has spent years trying to claw back relevance against a dominant SNP.
The leadership race comes at a critical time for Scottish Labour. The party made gains at the 2024 UK general election, riding a wave of support that helped Sir Keir Starmer into Downing Street, and there is a real sense that momentum could be built on heading into the next Scottish Parliament elections.
Whoever wins the contest will inherit a party that is in a stronger position than it has been for some time, but they will also face the enormous task of taking on John Swinney and the SNP, who have held power at Holyrood since 2007.
Sarwar himself led the party since 2021 and was widely credited with steadying the ship after a turbulent period. He oversaw the revival in Scottish Labour fortunes at Westminster level and leaves the role with the party in a more competitive position than when he took over.
The new leader will need to build on that platform and make a convincing case to Scottish voters that Labour is ready to govern at Holyrood. That means setting out a clear vision on issues like the cost of living, public services, and the constitution, where Labour has to navigate the independence question carefully.
The contest will be watched closely by party members, trade unions, and elected representatives across Scotland, all of whom will have a say in who comes out on top.
All eyes are now on the candidates to see how they pitch themselves to the membership and whether any of them can capture the imagination of a broader Scottish electorate that Labour desperately needs to win back.