Richard Leonard is hosting his first Scottish Labour conference as leader in the SNP stronghold of Dundee.
The party’s new boss will use the spring gathering to kick-start Labour’s campaign to reclaim the city, which has only sent one constituency representative to Holyrood or Westminster since 2007.
The move on Dundee comes as Mr Leonard is to appear alongside Jeremy Corbyn in Glasgow to launch a bonfire of former leader Kezia Dugdale’s policy programme.
The radical overhaul is likely to follow from the review of 12 policy areas, which will be announced on Monday.
Mr Leonard’s reviews will cover areas including income tax, nationalisation and housing.
Speaking alongside the UK Labour leader, Mr Leonard will pledge to use the Corbyn model to “breathe new life” into Scottish politics.
Mr Leonard said: “Over the coming months, we will set up 12 policy reviews and a commission on tax to further develop our policies on the vital issues facing Scotland including: funding and powers for local government, meeting the housing crisis, improving the health of our children, tackling climate change and developing green energy as well as extending public ownership.
“This moment can be a turning point for our party in Scotland but also for the UK as a whole. We can and must change our society.
“We will challenge austerity from the SNP in Holyrood and the Tories in Westminster.”
The outcome of those policy reviews will then be pitched to members at the Dundee conference in March.
Mr Corbyn, who had an uneasy relationship with the centrist Ms Dugdale, said he would work as “closely as possible” with Mr Leonard, a long-time supporter of the Islington North MP’s.
“Now our whole party and movement must campaign together to inspire people in every nation and region of the UK to have the confidence to be a country that genuinely cares for all,” Mr Corbyn is expected to say.
The last time Scottish Labour was in Dundee for conference was in 2012, when Johann Lamont was leader and Ed Miliband headed up the UK party.
Since then, the party north of the border has had three more leaders, as well four acting bosses.
A Scottish Labour insider said there is a “degree of confidence that Labour can take certain SNP strongholds off them” – including Dundee – with Jeremy Corbyn and Richard Leonard in charge.
Stewart Hosie, the SNP MP for Dundee East, said: “The people of Dundee clearly weren’t too enamoured by Jeremy Corbyn in June’s election, with Labour trailing behind in third in Dundee East and a distant second in Dundee West.
“If they reckon holding a party conference in the city is suddenly going to win over voters, then Richard Leonard’s clearly run out of ideas already.”
