RICHARD Leonard has launched a retaliation against three of his MSPs behind a plot to oust him warning them they could be blocked from standing at next year's Scottish Parliament elections.

The beleaguered Scottish Labour leader is facing a coup today as rebel members of his Holyrood team co-ordinated moves to remove him.

James Kelly, the party's justice spokesman, announced this morning he had resigned his frontbench position, while fellow MSP Jenny Marra gave a newspaper interview saying Leonard must go.

Their colleague Daniel Johnson then publicly backed their stances, and added his voice to their demands for the party leader to step down.

Leonard then fought back - questioning whether the three plotters should remain MSPs.

READ MORE: Richard Leonard faces coup as MSPs plot to oust him

Andrew Kerr, the BBC journalist tweeted that Leonard said he’s determined to turn the situation around and will not quit. 

Kerr added: "Heavy hint of deselection for his critics - tells us this 'frankly calls into question whether some of these people are the best people to stand for the Labour Party in the elections next year.'

The dramatic developments follow a Scottish Tory coup which removed Jackson Carlaw and replaced him with Douglas Ross.

Labour have suffering dismal polling results in recent weeks with one survey putting the party on course for just 14% of votes at the Holyrood elections next May.

In his resignation letter Kelly blasted Leonard's leadership and said the party risked "a catastrophic result" at the Holyrood election in May if he remained as leader.

"Such poor ratings would produce a catastrophic result from which the party would struggle to recover," his letter stated.

"The interests of the Scottish Labour Party are the key consideration in the conclusion I have reached."

He posted his resignation letter this morning on Twitter receiving support from key activists.

Susan Dalgety, a leading Labour activist and former communications adviser to first minister Jack McConnell, tweeted her support: "Kudos to @JennyMarra and  @JamesKellyLab for fighting to save Scottish Labour. Internal battles are never pretty, but sometimes they are absolutely necessary."

Pamela Nash, the chief executive of Scotland in Union and a former Labour MP, was among party figures to like his Kelly's tweet.

Kelly led a delegation of Labour MSPs who spoke to the Scottish Labour boss last month urging him to go "for the sake of the party".

Rhoda Grant, the Labour MSP and party's deputy finance spokesman in Holyrood, voiced support for Leonard.

She rallied behind the party leader and called for the party to unite behind him.

In a series of tweets, she said it was his campaigning work which led the First Minister to support the principle of a National Care Service.

"Richard Leonard was elected leader of Scottish Labour less than three years ago with the overwhelming backing of members and affiliated unions," she said.

"Yesterday, because of Richard Leonard’s tireless campaigning, the Scottish Government announced that it would support the principal of a National Care Service, a Scottish Labour policy for a decade.

"The crisis facing our country requires bold thinking and it requires a united Scottish Labour Party, under the leadership of Richard Leonard, fighting for the real change we need."