Scottish Labour has announced former party leader Kezia Dugdale will stand down from her role as an MSP this summer.

The Lothian list MSP, who will leave the Scottish Parliament in July, is to take up a post as director of the John Smith Centre for Public Service at Glasgow University.

Dugdale served as party leader from 2015 to 2017, and deputy leader from 2014 to 2015, having been first elected in 2011.

She said: "It has been an honour to represent the Lothian region for Labour in the Scottish Parliament, and to have had the opportunity to serve the party in a variety of roles for over a decade - from party organiser to leader.

"All through that time the passion and commitment of our members has been inspirational. No matter how difficult things were activists were always willing to hit the doorsteps to spread Labour's message.

"I have devoted my working life to public service, and this is an incredibly exciting new opportunity for me to lead the work of the John Smith Centre.

"Throughout my career I have taken on tough and challenging tasks, and my next task is to rebuild faith in our politics.

"Disruptive events and the rise of populism has led to increasingly polarised and emotional politics where rational, evidence-based thinking has lost its standing.

"Faith in public service, politics and the political process has to be restored and that progress must be sustainable.

"John Smith said 'the opportunity to serve our country - that is all we ask'. It will be an honour to build on his legacy and inspire his values of public service in a new generation."

Current Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said: "Kezia will be a loss to the Scottish Labour Party but I am sure she will still play a valuable role in public life going forward.

"Kezia stepped forward at a difficult time for the Scottish Labour Party and on many issues - from arguing to use the tax and social security powers of Holyrood to making the case for federalism, she helped the party rebuild after the devastating losses of the 2015 General Election.

"On behalf of the Scottish Labour party I thank Kezia for her service and wish her well in the next exciting chapter of her life."

After really making her name as a key member of the Better Together team during the Scottish Independence referendum of 2014, she was then made deputy leader to Jim Murphy in the same year.

However after a disastrous General Election in 2015 that seen Labour all but wiped out in Scotland, with Murphy one of the 40 MPs to lose their seats, Kezia was chosen as his replacement.

The last four years certainly haven't boring for Dugdale with a Scottish election in 2016, general election in 2017, an appearance on a tv reality show and a high profile court battle with pro-independence blogger Wings Over Scotland.

Shortly after leaving her role as Labour leader in 2017 she signed up to appear on STV reality show I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

She would go on to be the second celebrity evicted from the show.

Then, when she was working as a columnist for the Daily Record, she wrote an article calling a tweet posted by Wings Over Scotland "homophobic".

Stuart Campbell, who runs Wings Over Scotland, denied the tweet was homophobic and began defamation proceedings against Dugdale.

Campbell, who was claiming £25,000, lost the case despite the judgement saying that Dugdale was incorrect to imply he was homophobic.

The judge said her article was protected under the principle of fair comment.