Keir Starmer declares the 'tide is turning' on the Tories and SNP

19 February 2023 , 13:19

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Keir Starmer addressed Scottish Labour activists in Edinburgh (Image: Getty Images)

Keir Starmer today appealed to Scottish voters to back Labour again as he plotted a path to No10.

The party is undergoing a revival north of the border, eight years after it was routed at the ballot box as the nationalists claimed 56 of the nation’s 59 parliamentary seats at the 2015 general election.

But, under Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, it is rebuilding and closing the gap on the SNP.

Mr Starmer today declared: "The tide is turning on the Tories and the SNP."

Senior Labour figures were buoyed last week by Nicola Sturgeon’s bombshell resignation, with a new First Minister and SNP leader due to be installed next month.

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Urging SNP voters to put their trust in Labour, Mr Starmer told Scottish Labour’s conference in Edinburgh: "Only Labour can unlock the pride and purpose of all our communities, bring us together, raise our sights, nurture a real sense of collective mission and drive us forward to the fairer, greener, more dynamic country I know we can become.

Mr Starmer embraced Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar (PA)

"Britain needs a Labour Government for any of this to happen - we all know that.

"My message to the people across Scotland who want to see that kind of change is - trust in us."

Paying tribute to the outgoing First Minister, Mr Starmer admitted she had successfully lured traditional Labour voters to the nationalist banner.

“To lead Scotland for almost a decade is a political achievement that must be acknowledged, and one thing we must always be clear about – wherever you stand on the constitutional question - we must respect those beliefs as a sincere desire to make the future better for Scotland,” he told activists.

“The First Minister was sincere about that and it shaped her service to this nation, and yes, it shaped her political success - a success grounded, let’s be brutally honest, in persuading people who used to vote Labour to support her cause.

“We’ve got to reach out to those people now.”

The party chief was speaking at the Scottish capital's Assembly Rooms (Getty Images)

The party chief warned grassroots members that Scots who lost faith in Westminster and backed the SNP "have a point".

He admitted his route to Downing Street at the next general election relied on Labour winning back swathes of seats north of the border.

“I've always said any path to a Labour victory must run through Scotland,” he said.

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But activists cheered as he insisted that “the change we need is coming - a Labour Government is coming”.

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Ben Glaze