Kezia Dugdale resigns as Scottish Labour Party leader
Her resignation letter refers to a close friend who "taught her how precious and short life is, and never to waste a moment".
Wednesday 30 August 2017 13:39, UK
Kezia Dugdale has resigned as leader of the Scottish Labour Party.
She was elected leader in 2015 - after just four years in Holyrood.
Sky's Scotland Correspondent James Matthews, who broke the news, said: "I think she's simply had enough on a number of levels in a very difficult job."
It is believed that Scottish Labour members were told on Tuesday.
In her resignation letter to the chair of the Scottish Labour Party, Ms Dugdale writes: "I've given this task all that I have.
"With nearly four years until the next Scottish Parliament election, I'm convinced the party needs a new leader with fresh energy, drive and a new mandate to take the party into that contest."
Labour slipped into third place in the Scottish Parliament at the last Holyrood election, and won seven seats at the last General Election.
Matthews said: "There has been tension between the Corbyn camp and Kezia Dugdale. She has previously called him divisive and said that he wasn't the man to take Labour forward. As he gained traction within the Labour movement and the larger population, she said that he was an electoral asset.
"Within the party, and in terms of Labour's wider electoral prospects, she probably saw the long road ahead and didn't see quite where she fitted in to the Jeremy Corbyn movie."
The Labour leader has recently been in Scotland for five days, visiting marginal constituencies in a bid to win back support for the party.
Responding to news of her departure, Mr Corbyn said: "I'd like to thank Kezia Dugdale for her work as Scottish Labour leader and the important role she has played in rebuilding the party in Scotland.
"Kezia became Scottish leader at one of the most difficult times in the history of the Scottish Labour Party, and the party's revival is now fully under way, with six new MPs and many more to come.
"I want to thank Kez for her tireless service to our party and movement, and look forward to campaigning with her in future for a country that works for the many not the few."
In her resignation letter, Ms Dugdale, who announced last month she was , also referred to her close friend Gordon Aikman, who died from Motor Neurone Disease in February.
She writes: "He taught me a lot about how to live. His terminal illness forced him to identify what he really wanted from life. How to make the most of it, and how to make a difference.
"He taught me how precious and short life was, and never to waste a moment."
Scottish Labour's executive committee will meet on Saturday, 9 September to consider the timetable and process for selecting their new leader, with deputy leader Alex Rowley taking interim charge.
Pat Rafferty, Scottish secretary of the Unite union, said there was "no need to rush to a leadership election".