Lamont stood for the Scottish Labour leadership following the resignation of Iain Gray in the wake of the party's defeat at the 2011 Scottish Parliament election; its second consecutive defeat. Following a review of how the Labour Party in Scotland would be structured, she became its first overall leader. She stated Labour lost the 2011 election because it had lost direction, and initiated a review of Scottish Labour policy on issues like devolution and the party's commitment to free universal public services. Following the SNP Government's announcement of a referendum on Scottish independence, she was a key figure in the Better Together campaign; a cross-party movement that sought to keep Scotland part of the United Kingdom. She resigned as Scottish Labour leader in October 2014, making the announcement in a "Daily Record" interview in which she claimed that senior figures within the UK Labour Party had undermined her attempts to reform the Scottish party, and treated it "like a branch office of London". Following a leadership election to replace her, she was succeeded in December 2014 by former Secretary of State for Scotland Jim Murphy.