Campaign printing blunder leaves Labour MP red-faced

LEAFLET: List of achievements left blank in error

Labour’s only Scottish MP sent a leaflet out claiming to list his achievements, but leaving the page blank.

Ian Murray, MP for Edinburgh South, sent out thousands of the letters to members of his constituency urging them to re-elect him as their MP.

Murray, whose seat is a key target of the opposition, claimed his achievements were listed on the back of the letter but the reverse was blank.

The 40-year-old, who previously served as shadow secretary of state for Scotland before his resignation last year, posted a video apology.

He said in it: “I sent out thousands of these letters to local residents and as always happens in general election campaigns mistakes and errors are made.

“It says on this letter that if you turn to the reverse of the letter, you’ll see my record of being an effective MP.

“But if you do turn it around, it’s actually blank due to a printing error at the printers.”

The blunder came on the day Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale dismissed as “absolute nonsense” claims Labour is targeting just three seats in Scotland in the forthcoming general election.

With support for the party on the slide in its former heartland, there had been speculation Labour would focus its efforts on winning Mr Murray’s seat as Scotland’s sole Labour MP in 2015, East Renfrewshire and East Lothian.

Ms Dugdale said: “It’s an absolute nonsense. We’re selecting candidates in all seats across the country.”

Ms Dugdale said “first and foremost” her party was opposed to a new ballot on Scotland’s place in the UK. She said the election campaign should be a battle of ideas and policies “rather than who has the best insults to throw back and forth”.

Ms Dugdale stressed: “In a six-week campaign that’s going to decide the future of our country, I think it’s dutybound on all of us to talk about the issues that we hear on the doorsteps every day.”

Blair McDougall, a key figure in the Better Together campaign to keep Scotland in the UK in 2014, has been selected by Labour to fight the East Renfrewshire constituency.

Ms Dugdale said: “You’ll hear all our candidates like Blair talking about Labour values, talking about the fact that there are 5.4 million people across the United Kingdom who earn less than the living wage.”

As always happens in general election campaigns mistakes and errors are made

Picture: Deadline News. Labour MP Ian Murray made a video clip apologising for the mistake.