Future Labour UK government may find Holyrood ‘frustrating’, says Baillie

A future Labour government at Westminster could find it “frustrating” having to deal with Humza Yousaf at Holyrood, Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie has warned.

While Dame Jackie insisted she did “not take anything for granted” ahead of the next general election – which is likely to take place some time this year – she told how there could be a period of up to two years in which Labour is in power across the UK, but the SNP-led government remains in place in Edinburgh.

Accusing the SNP of seeking to promote grievance with Westminster, she said its politics were about “division” and “denial”.

Dame Jackie told a fringe event at the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow: “It has been about amplifying the points of difference rather than the things we share in common.”

She spoke about how “frustrating” that was, saying the party would need to counter this by finding “ways of working between Labour colleagues”.

Speaking at the event, organised by the Scottish Fabians, Dame Jackie added: “Just imagine what you would have if you had two governments working together in the interests of the Scottish people, not working against each other.

“That’s the change we will bring, both at the UK election but also at the Scottish Parliament elections too.”

Her comments came as Scottish Fabians chairman and Labour candidate for Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West Martin McCluskey told how the party had been in the “political ICU” before Anas Sarwar became leader.

Mr McCluskey said: “We were polling before Anas took over at 14%. I saw a poll at one point that actually put us on 9%.

“That is the political ICU we were in, trying to keep the party alive.”

He praised Mr Sarwar and UK party leader Sir Keir Starmer for their efforts to revive support for the party, as he warned “complacency” would be their “biggest enemy” in the run-up to the general election.

While he said the by-election victories in Wellingborough and Kingswood were “amazing”, he stressed these were “happening in a very different context to what we are going to be fighting in Scotland”.

The candidate said: “We are on an upwards trajectory but we still need to do a lot of work to get to where we need to.”

An SNP spokesperson said: “Jackie Baillie only highlights that Westminster’s values – be they Labour or Tory – are not Scotland’s values.

“With Labour refusing to reverse Tory austerity and maintaining a conspiracy of silence on the damage of Brexit, it’s clear that Westminster doesn’t work for Scotland.

“Only SNP MPs will stand up and ensure Scotland’s voice is heard at Westminster.

“No matter the government at Westminster, the SNP Scottish Government will continue to make decisions here that benefit the people of Scotland.”