HENRY McLeish has called for Labour to back single market membership as the party embarks on the first day of its Scottish Spring conference today.
The former First Minister welcomed the shift made by UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to support a customs union with the EU – a move he said will put pressure on Theresa May to soften her Brexit stance – but urged him to take “the next bold step”.
McLeish said support for single market membership would reflect the wishes of most Labour voters and trade unionists and help ensure the party was in tune with people in Scotland, which voted by 62 per cent to remain.
READ MORE: Scotland has changed forever and will not return to the days when it was just another part of Britain
He argued that such a stance would improve the standing of his party in Scotland as it would be more difficult for the SNP to position itself as the dominant pro-EU and single market voice.
“Jeremy Corbyn’s decision to negotiate a new customs union with the EU is to be warmly welcomed, a decision that increases the pressure on Theresa May to dump the political baggage that is dragging her under.
“Staying in or around the single market should be the next bold step,” he said. “This step forward is also important for Labour in Scotland.
“A hard Tory Brexit or a weak Labour campaign to prevent this would have strengthened the position of the SNP government, who are understandably pro EU. Scots voters wanted to remain. This battle isn’t over. The closer Labour remains to the EU, then the more difficult it is for the SNP to exploit the issue.
“That is why retaining membership of the single market and the customs union is such an important part of any political strategy for Scotland.”
He added: “Britain must remain in the European Union or as a minimum retain membership of both the Single market and the Customs Union. This is also, the only answer to the Ireland question, despite the rants of Boris Johnson.”
New Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard is expected to come under pressure over his stance on Brexit when the party meets in Dundee for its three day conference.
Former leader Kezia Dugale, Edinburgh South MP Ian Murray and MEP Catherine Stihler launched the Scottish Labour for the Single Market campaign group earlier this month and Brexit is due to be debated by delegates on Sunday morning.
SNP MSP George Adam said: “Brexit isn’t a sideshow. It’s the single biggest political issue of the day, and the clock is ticking for the UK to avoid crashing out of the single market – hitting jobs and ordinary people in the pocket. It’s time Labour backed our efforts to stop a hard Tory Brexit in its tracks.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel