KEIR Starmer’s first council of nations and regions meeting has been labelled “an insult” by the SNP, after it was revealed no Scottish representatives other than John Swinney would be in attendance.
The first meeting is set to take place in Edinburgh on Friday, with the Prime Minister and first ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in attendance alongside the newly-appointed “envoy for the regions and nations”, Sue Gray.
Yet whilst local leaders across England will also be present, their Scottish counterparts have been “excluded”, according to the SNP.
After winning the General Election on July 4, Keir Starmer (below) promised that Scotland would be the “beating heart” of his new Government as he pledged to improve working relations between the UK and Scottish governments.
Starmer and the leaders of the devolved administrations will be joined by the 11 English metro mayors, as well as the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, to discuss "shared challenges" and "opportunities".
We told how Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken said Starmer was effectively “ignoring and excluding” Scotland, arguing Labour has “shut the door” on Glasgow and other cities.
The Scottish Government also previously said it was not made aware of the council before an announcement was made by the UK Government.
‘Scotland will always be an afterthought for Labour’
The SNP have slammed the move, calling it “a snub” and saying it shows Starmer is “out of touch” with Scotland.
Bob Doris, SNP MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, said there was “no excuse” for not including leaders from cities across Scotland.
“This snub is yet another example of a Labour Government showing a complete lack of respect for Scotland,” he said.
“With our biggest city in Glasgow, our capital city of Edinburgh and Aberdeen as the proposed home of GB Energy excluded, Keir Starmer is making clear that Scotland will always be an afterthought for Labour.
“Hosting this meeting on a day trip to Scotland but choosing to snub our local leaders while inviting leaders in England is not just an insult – it is yet another gaffe from a Prime Minister who is stumbling from mistake to mistake and increasingly looks like he doesn't know what he is doing.”
Doris placed pressure on Anas Sarwar and Scottish Labour MPs to demand a U-turn from Starmer and include local Scottish leaders in future meetings.
“The question for Anas Sarwar and Scottish Labour MPs is: Will they make clear to Keir Starmer that this situation is completely unacceptable and demand a U-turn – or will they roll over for their bosses in London?
He continued: “Whether on the Winter Fuel Payment cut, doubling down on austerity or this latest insult to Scotland’s cities, the Labour Party are showing every day that they can’t be trusted to stand up for Scotland, and that they are little different from the Tory government they replaced”.
Scottish Labour have been contacted for comment.
