Scottish Labor wants to replace its traditional red rose emblem with a thistle to update the party’s image.
The red rose has been the Labor Party logo since it was introduced by former leader Neil Kinnock in 1986.
But Scottish Labor said it would now be replaced with a red and purple thistle following feedback from voters.
The new logo will be officially unveiled by leader Anas Sarwar when the Scottish Labor conference begins on Friday.
The renaming is understood to be part of an effort to modernize the party’s image and emphasize its Scottish references, with the new logo set to be used in Labor’s campaign ahead of May’s local elections.
Labor is expected to keep the red rose elsewhere in the UK.
A party spokesman said: “Scottish Labor is committed to transforming our party to win back the confidence of the people of Scotland.
“We stand with the Scots and hope they will join us so we can build the future together. For this we need new ideas and new thinking.
“At this week’s Scottish Labor conference you will hear Anas Sarwar’s relentless focus on the future.”
The Scottish Conservatives said it was “ridiculous that Labor should waste time deciding what pretty flower to use as their logo when Scots are much more concerned about their jobs and public services”.
It’s not quite a ‘new Labour’, but this renaming is one building block in a broader reorganization of the Scottish party.
Having taken the reins just weeks before Holyrood’s election last year, Anas Sarwar has had little opportunity to introduce himself to the electorate, let alone the party’s repositioning.
And with this poll cementing Labour’s third-place position in Scottish politics, the overhaul must be more than cosmetic.
If Mr Sarwar is to bring Labor back into competition with the SNP and the Conservatives, he must find convincing answers to the problems they left behind.
One of these is undoubtedly the Constitution, with his party often the third wheel in a binary debate, but beyond that he needs to make a distinctive offer to voters, a concrete message about what the Scottish Labor Party stands for in 2022.
All of this clearly goes beyond swapping a rose for a thistle – and with local elections approaching in May, there is little time to lose.
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