Tories demand Labour council candidates in Edinburgh withdraw
Anas Sarwar has been told by the Scottish Conservatives to deselect three Labour council candidates in Edinburgh who are “pro-independence”.
Milesbriggs,thescottishconservativespokespersonforlocal government, said the selection of the candidates “flies in the face” of claims from the Scottishlabourleaderthepartywas “pro-uk”.
Mrsarwarhaspreviouslysaid Labour would not “pretend we believe in something we don’t” and that candidates must support the union.
Rossmckenzie,alabourcandidate for the Sighthill/gorgie ward, has described himself on Twitter as a “Yes voter” and has demanded the Scottish Parliament has the powers to hold a referendum.
In one tweet during the 2019 election, he stated: “A lot of us voted Yes, and would do so again, but we need these ideas to get some support. If Leithers won’t give it, who will?”
Mr Mckenzie also criticised
the coalition between Labour and Conservative councillors in Aberdeen, labelling it a “disgrace”.
Anothercandidateforthecorstorphine/murrayfield ward, Richardparker,sharedaspeech by the former depute leader of the SNP, Jim Sillars, during the first independence referendum and posted a graphic asking people to vote Yes and then Labour in 2016.
Katrina Faccenda, a candidate for Leith, has also posted tweets expressing support for
Holyrood to have the power for a second independence referendum.
She attacked former Scottish Labourleaderrichardleonard for not backing a second referendum.
Mr Briggs said these candidates and any other proindependence candidates on Labour’s ticket should be "ditched”.
He said: “This flies in the face of Anas Sarwar promising that all Labour council candidates would be pro-uk. Given that pledgeandtheserevelations,he must ditch any candidate who supports independence.”
A Scottish Labour spokesperson said: ““It is frankly laughable that the Tories claim to be the party of the Union. It is the callousness and incompetence of the Tories that does the most damage to the fabric of the UK. Only Scottish Labour is committed to opposing the divisive politics of the SNP and Tories and securing Scotland’s place in a renewed UK.”