KEIR Starmer’s political agenda has been branded “timid” as he was accused of throwing away the chance to deliver “clear and substantial change”.
The King’s Speech on Wednesday set out Labour’s law-making plans – including commitments to renationalise the railways, introduce a new workers’ rights package and creating a publicly-owned energy firm.
But the SNP said Starmer’s plans fell far short of what was required to “deal with the major challenges facing the UK”.
Stephen Flynn, the party’s Westminster leader, said his MPs would “work with the Labour government” in Scotland’s interests – but also pledged to “hold them to account”.
He said: “People in Scotland voted for clear and substantial change at Westminster, and the Labour government was handed a huge mandate to deliver it, so it's bitterly disappointing that they have thrown that opportunity away.
"While some of the small measures announced are welcome, they fail to deal with the major challenges facing the UK.
“There was no plan to eradicate child poverty, no plan to tackle the cost of living and no plan to end Tory austerity and boost NHS funding.”
Flynn took aim at Starmer on the Prime Minister’s stated priority of boosting economic growth, saying that a failure to “reverse the damage of Brexit or properly invest in green energy” meant Labour were “restricting the potential for strong growth in the economy, wages and living standards”.
On the constitution, Labour have again scaled back their plans to reform the House of Lords. They appear to have dropped plans to make peers retire at 80 and instead will finish the job of removing hereditary peers from the upper chamber.
Flynn added: “For Scotland, there was no plan to deliver the maximum devolution that Labour promised during the independence referendum and, despite promising to abolish the House of Lords for more than a century, they are only planning to tinker around the edges.
"The SNP will work with the Labour government, wherever possible, to deliver the best outcomes for Scotland – but where that change isn't forthcoming we will hold them to account.”
Of the 39 bills and draft bills listed in the King’s Speech, 23 apply in whole or in part to Scotland.
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray (below) said: “We have a bold and ambitious legislative programme which will ensure we deliver on our mandate.
“Our plans will deliver growth and jobs for our economy. It will establish GB Energy, a publicly owned energy generation company which will create jobs and cut bills for good, and establish a National Wealth Fund to invest in the industries and jobs of the future.
“The King’s Speech also delivers the biggest transfer of power towards working people in a generation, with new rights on sick pay and redundancy, and better pay. It will ban exploitative zero hour contracts and increase the minimum wage to a real living wage. A better deal for working people, with less insecurity and more money in their pockets, is the first step towards reducing poverty in Scotland and across the UK.”
He said that the UK Government wanted to “reset” relations with the Scottish Government, adding that Labour’s plans for renationalising the railways would “ensure that ScotRail is kept in public hands”.
Murray added that the UK Government would seek to work with the SNP to prevent young people getting addicted to vapes.
