Sir Keir: I’ll build a Britain that Scots can be proud of
SIRKeirStarmerhasvowedtobuildaUKthatScots‘aren’tjustpartof,butproudof’,ashesoughtto strengthen his pro-Unioncredentialsyesterday.
Inhisfirstin-personspeechtoaScottish Labour conference asparty leader, he did not make asinglereferencetoindependenceorareferendum,butpraisedtheeffortsofallpartsoftheUKinrespondingtotheUkrainecrisis.
He also warned that Labourmustagainbecomeapartyoftheworkers,and–inacleardigatpredecessorJeremyCorbynandhisallies–thatitcannotbeapartyforthepoliticalpurists.
SeniorLabourfigures admittedyesterday that they are no longerplanning fora GeneralElectionnext year , and accept that theUkrainecrisis has for now securedBoris John son’ s position in D owningStreet. However, they alsobelievethatithasmadeanytalkofanindependencereferendumnextyear‘futileandirrelevant’,at a time when solidarity andinternational cooperation haveneverbeenmoreimportant.
SirKeirpledg ed that the UK hewould seek to lead would respectScotland,strengthen the Union ,and ‘ unleash the true power ’ofdevolution.
Speaking at Glasgow’ s RoyalConcert Hall , he said :‘ A Labourgovernmentlikethosethathavegonebeforethatwillforge,forourtimes,a new Britain. A new Britain thatScottishpeoplearen’tjustpartof,butproudof.
‘I want to lead Britain because Ibelieveinit,inallitspartsandallofitsdifferences.Inallofourhomenations,inallofthegoodanddecentpeoplewhosharethesamehopesanddreams,fearsandfrustrations,thesamelandandthesamecoasts.Acommonlanguageandinheritance,and the same threats to our wayoflife.’
InaspeechthatdrewloudapplauseforpraisingformerprimeministersTonyBlairandGordonBrown,hewasscathingofthefailuresoftheparty’shardLeft.
SirKeirsaid:‘Toomanyworkingpeoplecametoseeusasfarremovedfromtheirlives.Wecanwinandwecanmakechange,orwecanpursueapparent political purity inside thisparty. But please make no mistake,wecannotdoboth.Runningawayfromthemainstreamisrunningawayfromvoters.’
When Labour last won a GeneralElection,in2005,itsecured41seatsinScotland.NowithasjustoneMPnorth of the Border, Ian Murray –fewerthantheSNP,ToriesandeventheLibDems–andfacesamammothchallengetoreversethatdecline.
Speaking at a conference fringeevent , Mr Murray said a secondindependence referendum being heldwhile the world stand son the brink ofa nuclear war was inconceivable .
He added :‘ Talking about an independencereferendum now justseems futile andir relevant . I can’ tbelieve in a post-C ovid , Ukrainian crisis Britain we are going to talkabout whether we should have another referendum .’ However , oppositionparties last night mocked Sir Keir’ s ambitions of entering D owning Street , branding him an‘ir relevance ’.
A spokesman for the ScottishConservatives said :‘ Labour have lostvote sine very Holy rood election,falling to their worst ever result lastyear . They now prefer to help thenationalists than work withpro-UK parties.
‘Nomatterhowmuchtheytrytogainsupportbyappealingtonationalistvoters,theLabourpartyisnowamereshadowofwhatitusedtobe.’
Ian Blackford MP, SNP leader atWestminster, said: ‘While Labourslide further into irrelevance aftersufferingtheirworstelectiondefeatinthehistoryofdevolutioninMay,theSNPwillgetonwithdeliveringforthepeopleofScotland.’
‘Referendum talk seems futile and irrelevant’