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Laird endorsed Keir Starmer in the 2020 Labour Party leadership election.

Laird continued to regularly campaign on poverty issues in the constituency, working in partnership with local charities in a bid to overturn the UK government’s new flagship welfare policy, Universal Credit.

Laird held a public meeting with ScotRail director Alex Hynes in Kirkcaldy in February 2019, to discuss franchise operator Abellio's poor performance record in Fife, particularly during that winter, when stop-skipping and train delays were a regular occurrence. Although transport issues were devolved, Laird later lobbied the Scottish Government to use an early break-clause in its Abellio contract. On 18 December 2019, transport minister Michael Matheson announced he would cancel the contract three years early, in 2022.

Laird resigned as deputy leader of the Scottish Labour in December 2019 after losing her seat to the Independent (formerly SNP) candidate Neale Hanvey. Following her resignation, she criticised unsupportive members of her party for undermining the leaderships of Jeremy Corbyn and Richard Leonard.

In May 2018, Laird faced criticism for neglecting her duties as a councillor, having only attended two meetings after her election as an MP. Critics argued she should have resigned as a councillor when becoming a Member of Parliament. Her party's rules later stated members should only hold one elected position, a policy Laird appeared to have breached, according to the National newspaper. However, Laird actually resigned the post of her own volition.

For the 2017 snap general election, Laird was selected to stand as the Scottish Labour candidate for the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency; once held by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown. She overturned Roger Mullin of the SNP's majority to become the constituency's new Member of Parliament, receiving 36.8% of the vote. Laird was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland less than a week later on 14 June 2017.

Laird sought selection for the Scottish Labour regional list for the Mid Scotland and Fife region in the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.

A councillor since 2012, Laird is the former deputy leader of Fife Council, where she also held the administration portfolio for economy and planning.

Laird was first selected by her Constituency Labour Party to contend the 2012 local elections, and was returned alongside her Scottish Labour running mate. She was appointed spokesperson for economy and planning in February 2013 and one year later was elected by her fellow Labour councillors to the post of deputy leader.

Lesley Margaret Laird (née Langan; born 15 November 1958) is a Scottish Labour Party politician. She served as the Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 2017 to 2019, and as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath from 2017 to 2019. Laird narrowly defeated the sitting MP, Roger Mullin of the SNP, by 259 votes at the 2017 general election.

By enlisting support from Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaigners, Unison and Citizens Advice Rights Fife, Laird also hosted a number of public campaign events aimed at 1950s-born women who were affected by age-related eligibility changes.