MARTIN Compston has suggested that Gordon Brown’s constitutional reforms won’t win over Yes supporters.
Reacting to the former Labour Prime Minister’s plans to “make the UK work for Scotland”, the Inverclyde star said it’s something the country has heard before.
Asked by The National ahead of The Rig's premiere in Edinburgh if Brown’s proposed reforms could win over Yes voters, Compston sighed and said: “We’ve heard that before from him.”
On Monday, the party put out a paper titled “A New Britain” in which it set out how Labour would reform the British political system.
Labour leader Keir Starmer said it would give the nations of the UK a “louder, prouder voice”.
It included a number of proposals such as replacing the House of Lords with an elected “assembly of the nations and regions” as well as giving Holyrood binding veto powers over devolved issues and the power to join international schemes such as Erasmus.
But Brown, who spearheaded the reforms, has been criticised by pro-independence supporters for previously pledging to overhaul the UK to better suit Scotland. A goal they say fallen far short of what was promised.
Yes groups have accused the former PM of abandoning the so-called “vow” made in 2014 by Brown, David Cameron and Ed Miliband to give Scotland much greater powers over its own affairs.
Compston, below, expressed his doubt over the paper's promises to journalists ahead of the premiere of Amazon Prime Video’s The Rig, which the actor said was one of the biggest productions to ever take place in Scotland.
The Line of Duty star stars in the new supernatural thriller series which sees a group of oil and gas workers trapped on a rig as a mysterious fog cuts off commutations with the mainland.
Compston praised the real-life rig workers and the feats he said were made to build such structures in deep, treacherous waters far away from the mainland.
He said the show had given due respect to an industry which has been "propping up the UK economy for decades".
Created by David Macpherson, The Rig touches on the future of Scottish oil and gas amid a global climate crisis.
The Rig - Official Trailer (2023) Emily Hampshire, Iain Glen, Martin Compston, Thriller Series pic.twitter.com/2HVupxg6l6
— Movie Coverage (@MovieCoverage_) November 29, 2022
Asked if there was a bright future for an oil-free Scotland, Compston said he was hopeful there would be - and that it would include a just transition.
“I think we’ve got to be very adaptable – I think we are,” he said. “I think Scotland has a lot of talent here. It’s just taking those skills and those skilled workers and putting them into other industries.
“I think, hopefully, we’ve got a bright future. It’s a rough time for everybody right now with the cost of living crisis.
“It’s horrible – people struggling just to feed their families but I think our youth is very determined and organised. I think we’ve got a bright future. I hope so anyways.”
He said he hoped that future would include Scotland as an independent nation but added that the country had a long way to go.
He said: “My colours have been nailed to the mast for a long time I don’t think it’s any surprise that I’m an independence supporter but I hope so.
"We’ve got a long way ahead.”
The Rig will be available in the UK on Amazon Prime on January 6 and will star Compston alongside Mark Bonnar, Rochenda Sandall, Emily Hampshire and Iain Glen.
