Labour concentrates on saving the skins of its biggest hitters
LABOUR is pulling resources out of several seats in Scotland in a bid to rescue its ‘status’ politicians from an SNP landslide amid growing signs of internal party turmoil.
Senior sources have disclosed that a handful of key Labour-held constituencies will receive extra help in the final days of the campaign, while other areas have effectively been abandoned by the national party.
Ensuring Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy wins in East Renfrewshire on Thursday is now the main priority, while rescuing Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander in Paisley and Renfrewshire South is considered vital by party chiefs.
Shadow Scottish Secretary Margaret Curran faces a mammoth task in Glasgow East, but has been given extra resources, according to insiders, in an attempt to ‘avoid embarrassment for Ed Miliband’.
The Labour leader has made repeat visits to Glasgow East this year.
If the high-profile constituency does switch to the SNP, Labour bosses f ear Nicola Sturgeon will use the victory as the focal point for Nationalist
‘The party can be brutal’
celebrations in the early hours of Friday.
Other seats being prioritised include Rutherglen and Hamilton West, where Shadow Energy Minister Tom Greatrex is the candidate, and Edinburgh South, where Shadow Minister for Trade and investment Ian Murray is standing.
But insiders said resources have been pulled out of traditional strongholds such as Glasgow North, where Ann McKechin won in 2010, and other areas in the Central Belt.
One source said: ‘Organisers have been pulled out of some seats. The party can be brutal if the numbers on the doorsteps dip under certain levels. Some seats are getting extra resources – in many cases it’s a status issue, such as in Glasgow East.’
Another insider said: ‘We’re not chucking resources where we think we might lose.’
A third source said: ‘It feels like 1997 in reverse. And there is some resentment that Glasgow East is getting extra resources, as there are other seats where the race is much closer.’