LONG-BAILEY: I WON’T BLOCK POLL NO2
Long-Bailey says bid to block vote would be undemocratic
LABOUR leadership hopeful Rebecca Long-Bailey says she wouldn’t stand in the way of IndyRef2… but would campaign for a No vote.
The contender to replace Jeremy Corbyn said she wants Scotland to remain in the UK but with more powers for Holyrood.
But unlike the flat refusal from the Tory Government, the left-wing candidate, 40, said it is undemocratic to block moves for a second referendum on Scottish independence.
In an exclusive interview, Long-Bailey said: “There should be a democratic revolution with more powers – including over tax and industrial strategy – devolved to Wales and Scotland but also to the English regions.
“I would never campaign for Scotland to leave. I’d always want them to be part of the UK because I think we’re stronger together. But I don’t think as a democratic party we could stand in the way if the Scottish Parliament democratically decided they would call for another independence referendum.”
Asked if she meant that was independence-supporting parties winning a majority in next year’s Scottish Parliament elections, she said: “Yes.”
Long-Bailey also tackled claims that she is just another Corbyn as “disrespectful”.
The Shadow Business Secretary, a close ally of Corbyn and his Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, has struggled to shrug off claims they would still run the show if she wins.
She said: “Insinuations have been made, ‘Oh these men have been pulling strings in the background’.
“I’ve been proud to stand on the policy platform that we’ve had. That’s not to say I’m not a completely different person from Jeremy because I am and I’ll be taking the party in completely different directions.”
Long-Bailey said she was “devastated” by Labour’s election defeat and pins it on “a whole range of issues” including lack of trust in policies, the party’s Brexit position and its handling of anti-Semitism.
While she refused to blame Corbyn’s leadership, she tried to put clear water between them by focusing on the language of aspiration. She said: “The Tories talk about being the party of aspiration and they’re nowhere near delivering anybody’s aspirations, apart from a select group of people they’ve always tried to protect.
“It’s about saying to an 18-year-old Rebecca that the Labour Party will make sure you fulfil your dreams and that your children’s lives would be better than yours.
“No matter your postcode, no matter where you work, you will be guaranteed that better quality of life.”