article: Mr Macintosh and party deputy leader Kezia Dugdale have confirmed that they are standing for leadership of the party when Jim Murphy quits next month. The Eastwood MSP said his supporters were being "bullied and intimidated" into withdrawing their backing. Scottish Labour said the leadership contest would be conducted "fairly". A spokesman said Mr Macintosh had since withdrawn his allegations about the party. However, Mr Macintosh insisted his comments still stood but had not been aimed at party staff. He has not named those he thinks are responsible. Scottish Labour general secretary Brian Roy said: "I have spoken to Ken Macintosh and he has withdrawn his allegations about the party. The leadership contest in Scotland will be conducted fairly and openly." In response, Mr Macintosh said: "I am not withdrawing anything. I clarified with Brian [Roy] that the allegations are not against party staff, but against the machine politics which have too much influence in the Labour Party." Mr Macintosh, the party's social justice spokesman, ran for party leadership against Johann Lamont almost four years ago and is likely to need nominations from six or seven MSPs to be a candidate in this leadership contest. Ms Dugdale, who is widely regarded as the "obvious person" to take on the job, confirmed her leadership bid on Friday. But he claims his backers are coming under "incredible pressure to withdraw their support". "I want to have a contest but I've found the whole weight of the party machine yet again turning against me trying to close down a contest," he told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme. "All the people that have been trying to support me, the party machine has turned on them, and they are being put under incredible pressure to withdraw their support. They are being bullied and being intimidated and pressurised not to support me so we don't have a contest. "I wouldn't even have put my head above the parapet if I didn't know I had that support." Mr Macintosh, who won a majority of member votes in the last leadership contest, said the three-college system used by the Labour Party to elect leaders was "ridiculous". "I want the members to take control of the party," he said. "We need to move to one member, one vote." He called for a quick contest, before the summer if possible, that is "fair and democratic". By BBC Scotland political correspondent Glenn Campbell Kezia Dugdale already has the backing of twenty Labour MSPs for her bid to become Scottish party leader. That's more than half the Labour team at Holyrood. Many of them would like her elected unopposed. Yet when she announced her intention to stand, Ms Dugdale said she would "absolutely" welcome a contest. Ken MacIntosh is offering that challenge. He is likely to require the support of six or seven MSPs to become a candidate. But he claims his supporters are being "bullied and intimidated" by what he calls the "party machine" in an attempt to avoid a contest. He has not been more specific. There are certainly those who
summary: Scottish Labour MSP Ken Macintosh has told BBC Scotland the "party machine" is bullying his supporters in an attempt to avoid a leadership contest.