Labour risks being ‘branch office’ again says Sarwar
Scottish Labour risks returning to “branch office” status if the party’s next leader fails to stand up to Jeremy Corbyn and unions are allowed to swing the result, Anas Sarwar has claimed.
The leadership candidate’s comments follow reports that unions could “stitch up” the contest by signing up thousands of members through its political levy to back his rival Richard Leonard, who is considered to be closest to Mr Corbyn. The former Glasgow MP said: “We can take different decisions in Scotland that are right for Scotland’s interests.”
Mr Leonard hit back, highlighting his consistent support for left-wing politics since he joined Labour.
Labour should put forward a private member’s bill in the Scottish Parliament to pressure th es np to abolish the tax free status of private schools, a candidate to lead the party has said.
Both leadership rivals vowed to strip private schools of their charitable status at a hustings event in Brighton, and Richard Leonard suggested legislation could be pushed through Holyrood to force SNP MSPS to choose whether to back the measure.
Mr Leonard said the tax-free status of private schools was “an anomaly that needs to go”.
“It is absolutely bizarre to me that state schools have got to pay rates, and private schools do not. I just cannot see how that can be anything other than grossly unfair.”
He said: “One of the things I things I think we should be looking at is getting someone in the education team to come forward with a private members’ bill that ends this discrimination once and for all, and lets us flush out where the SNP are on this issue.”
Mr Sarwar said he backed re-investing funds levied from private schools to support state education.