By STEWART PATERSON

Political Correspondent

THE two hopefuls for the Labour leadership went head to head in Glasgow last night both claiming they are fighting to be the next First Minister.

Anas Sarwar and Richard Leonard faced a hustings of Glasgow Labour members as they set out their vision for the party as it looks to battle back from third place behind the SNP and the Tories in Scotland.

Mr Leonard said he wanted to tackle poverty and inequality.

He said: “The problems are deep seated and nowhere more than in this city. One in three children live in poverty, the gap in life expectancy between rich and poor is shocking and getting wider and one third of adults are economically inactive.

He added we need wholesale radical change.

Mr Leonard dismissed any notion of coalitions with other parties stating the only coalition he was interested in was between Labour Party and the trade union movement.

Mr Sarwar said he was “scunnered” by the poverty an inequality in Glasgow and said he was not willing to accept the problems.

He said: “I’m not willing to accept things can’t be changes. I’m not willing to accept inequality and the fact that foodbanks are the norm for too many of our families.”

He turned his attention to Nicola Sturgeon who he said he wants to replace as First Minister.

He said: “Nicola Sturgeon has presided over £400m of cuts to this city, the city that she seeks to represent.”

He said that 40% of children in Ms Sturgeon’s Southside constituency live in poverty.

He added: that is a national disgrace. Even more of a disgrace is she has the power to do something about it.”

Both candidates backed Jeremy Corbyn stating that change across the UK can be delivered by a Corbyn UK government.

The Glasgow MSP added said that not every person who voted yes in 2014 was a nationalist and that Labour Party should not be afraid to state it is a democratic socialist party.

Mr Leonard said the next leader will be accountable to the Scottish Labour Party but attacked those who tried to undermine Jeremy Corbyn. He said he was ashamed of them.

He added that Labour couldn’t afford the luxury of the split it witnessed between those backing and those opposed to Corbyn.