SCOTTISH Labour should debate different ideas after its catastrophic result in May’s Holyrood election, former first minister Jack McConnell has said.
McConnell – the last Labour first minister – has said he hopes Andy Burnham’s rise to the leadership at a UK level will change the party in Scotland and allow for a shake-up of its offices in the devolved nations.
The party dropped seats in May, falling to just 17 MSPs, prompting calls for a re-think from internal figures. They have lost seats in each Scottish election since devolution.
Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland on Monday, just hours before Burnham took over as prime minister from Keir Starmer, McConnell was asked about a potential split from UK Labour.
“I like the idea that Burnham is going to run a different kind of Labour Party in terms of debating ideas within the party and outwith the party,” he said.
“I noticed recently there’s been a relatively small group of Scottish Labour figures, some of whom were candidates in the recent election, who’ve been pushing this point of view.
“Now, rather than close down that debate, which would have been the case under several leaders in the recent past, I think it’s really important that we can have these debates.”
McConnell pointed to Labour’s performance in the 1992 general election in Scotland, where a “massive review” resulted in changes which improved the party’s fortunes in 1997.
“I think the Scottish Labour Party’s got to have a proper debate, not just about its relationship with the UK party, but about its own policy platform, its ambitions, its internal structure and the campaigning style of the party, what we see the Scottish Parliament as being for,” he added.
“I would strongly urge the leadership of the Scottish party – Douglas Alexander, Anas Sarwar, Jackie Baillie – I would urge them to open this debate up and to welcome the fact that people will want to make a contribution based on their experience in that recent election campaign with such a disappointing result.”
Burnham, he added, would “create a political mood in the whole country” which will aim to de-centralise power.
“I think he’s much more confident in his skin than a lot of previous prime ministers have been,” McConnell said.
“I think he will be pushing for people to take control, to seize the opportunities of decentralisation and devolution and he’ll want to work with people of all parties in those positions, but I think it will be about creating the mood in the country that then energises the country for economic growth and great social cohesion.”
SNP MSP Kate Campbell said the conversation about allowing a debate on the topic is proof that Scottish Labour would struggle to ever break free from its Westminster counterpart.
She said: “The fact Scottish Labour need permission from London Labour to change the structure of their own party sums it up – Scottish Labour answers to Westminster, the SNP answers to the people of Scotland.”
She added: “This is a perennial debate in the Scottish Labour Party and will remain so for as long as they continue to deny the democratic right of the Scottish people to decide our own future.
“If key Scottish Labour figures think independence is the answer for them, they should consider if independence is the answer for Scotland.”
The "Just For Scotland" campaign calls on the party to gain full independence from its Westminster leadership. Its slogan on social media is "Make Scottish Labour Scottish".
McConnel told the Daily Record that he believes Scottish voters don't think the party can effectively "be for Scotland" because of its connection to decisions made in Westminster.
The former candidate for Galloway and West Dumfries said: "We used to be seen as the party to stand up for Scotland because we delivered our Parliament. But we’ve now let too many Scots assume we can’t be for Scotland.
"Splitting from the rest of Labour would help us be seen as just for Scotland, without worrying about what people in Westminster think. We need to be confident in our pro-Union beliefs while remembering why we were the party of devolution.
“Becoming a new party won’t solve every problem of social democracy, but it’s a vital first step to progress in other areas.”
