The
Scottish Labour Party (SLP) was formed on 18 January 1976 as a breakaway from the UK
Labour Party, by members disaffected with the then Labour Government's failure to secure a devolved
Scottish Assembly, as well as with its social and economic agenda. The formation of the SLP was led by
Jim Sillars, then MP for
South Ayrshire,
John Robertson, then MP for
Paisley and
Alex Neil, the UK Labour Party's senior Scottish researcher.