Missed chance will cost Labour dearly

JEREMY Corbyn was widely credited for Scottish Labour’s mini-resurgence in 2017.

That year’s snap general election saw the party go from one seat in Scotland to a much more respectable seven.

The result was heralded as the start of a socialism-driven comeback for the party after years of painful decline.

It now seems more likely it was just a blip on the road to oblivion.

According to YouGov, another general election would see Labour crash back down to three Scots seats, with the Tories securing a fragile majority across Britain.

Labour’s position here has not been helped by the Nowhere Man standing of Scottish leader Richard Leonard.

But if Corbyn was responsible for the success of 2017, he also must be to blame for any subsequent setbacks.

And if the Labour leader cannot poll ahead of the chancers and charlatans that currently make up the Conservative Party at a UK level, what hope does he have?

It’s a terrible indictment of the damage Corbyn’s complete lack of leadership on Brexit is doing to the party.

There was a real opportunity for Labour to resonate with the majority of Scots who want to be part of the UK and the European Union.

Yet under Corbyn, Labour has sounded weak on the two central issues of our age.

On Brexit, his transparent attempt to straddle two horses at once has shredded the party’s credibility. Ultimately, it could be the entire country that suffers.