Brian Leishman MP: Scottish Labour must take stock after election results

After the extremely disappointing Holyrood elections results, everyone involved with Scottish Labour must take stock and look at what went wrong.  

I know the efforts of grassroots members and activists over the past months have been nothing other than extraordinary.  

In every corner of the country, they were out knocking doors, whatever the weather, giving up their time because they believe that Scottish Labour represents the best hope of a more equal society.  

Our brilliant candidates deserve the same recognition, and it was a privilege to campaign alongside them. Their passionate commitment to delivering improvements to their communities showed the very best of our Labour movement.  

But the results are in and the bottom line is that we did not win the public over. We now face yet another five years in opposition at Holyrood, and we must confront that reality with honesty.  

Since Labour delivered devolution in 1999, we have returned fewer MSPs at every election, and once again, the people of Scotland refused what we had to offer.  

As I write, a most unpopular Prime Minister is holding his weekly cabinet meeting while facing calls to stand down, not just from backbenchers like myself but from senior ministers.  

I have said it before and I will say it again, Keir Starmer must do the right thing and resign. It is necessary for both the country and the future of the Labour Party.  

Now, it would be easy to apportion all the blame onto the Prime Minister, but his premiership is only one contributing factor.  

The painful truth is that during this election, people no longer knew what Scottish Labour stood for or who we represent.  

Simply offering to manage the country better than the SNP – a low bar to clear – was never going to cut it.  

Much of our core support has found their political home elsewhere, namely with the SNP, who capitalised on our identity crisis, convincing people that they are the progressive left-of-centre voice that represents them.  

Make no mistake, however, the SNP are no left-wing party.  

They have slashed public services, starved councils of the funds they need to deliver facilities for people, and through poor political choices created huge issues in our NHS while also abandoning teachers, police officers and firefighters.  

But what was the Scottish Labour alternative?  

In January, we did not put forward a different budget to the SNP’s cuts, which will see 11,000 people lose their jobs. We made no demands. That is not good enough.   

Instead of silence, we should have presented the big and bold ideas which will transform our country.  

Radical transformation should have ran right through our election manifesto. Scotland does not need the promise of “getting the basics right” when poverty is deepening and living standards are plummeting.  

Scotland needs change. And so does Scottish Labour. That starts at the top, with a change in leadership and direction.  

The party must look to our proud past to shape our future, because the founding principles are as relevant as ever.  

Public ownership of vital industries and infrastructure, services which work for people and a fairer, more equal society.  

I know who I represent when I am at Westminster, and I will do everything I can to get Scottish Labour back to our roots so that once again, everyone knows who we stand with and what we stand for.