Anger as Leonard takes a swipe at tycoon
SCOTTISH Labour leadership hopeful Richard Leonard launched a scathing attack on the ‘Brian Souters of this world’ yesterday as he pledged to nationalise rail and bus services.
The Central Scotland MSP accused the businessman – a co-founder of Stagecoach and one of Scotland’s most successful entrepreneurs – of ‘leeching’ money out of the country’s transport system.
He also warned he would look at a hardLeft one-off or recurring tax on wealth.
His comments came as he addressed the Unite Scotland conference in Aviemore.
Asked whether, as Labour leader, he would challenge SNP proposals about raising the age of eligibility for a free bus pass, Mr Leonard said: ‘I will be fighting tooth and nail, not just to keep that policy but to look at how it can be extended to the railways.
‘If we bring the railways back into public ownership and bring bus services back into public ownership there will be a circularity of that income as well instead of it leeching out to the Brian Souters of this world.’
The ‘public shaming’ of Sir Brian was last night condemned by Scottish Conservative
‘Sending out the wrong message’
finance spokesman Murdo Fraser, who said: ‘This is more evidence of the ruinous hardLeft road Richard Leonard will drive the Labour Party down if he wins.
‘We tried mass nationalisation once and it was a disaster and I am not sure there is much appetite for a second attempt. In publicly shaming the likes of Brian Souter, Richard Leonard is sending out the completely wrong message to private businesses. Stagecoach is one of our most successful companies and we should be encouraging this type of entrepreneurialism.’
Mr Leonard and leadership rival Anas Sarwar unveiled their tax policies last week – and both will hammer middle earners.
Yesterday Mr Leonard raised the prospect of a hard-Left wealth tax only days after pledging to support higher income, business and council taxes across Scotland.
He also criticised outgoing Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale for being drawn into ‘coup attempts around Jeremy Corbyn’, calling it ‘a profound mistake on her part’.
He added: ‘We need a Labour Party in Scotland that is not picking fights with the leader of the UK Labour Party.’
Comment – Page 14