UK Labour will continue to trump Scottish Labour on policy decisions in reserved matters even if autonomy plans by Kezia Dugdale get passed by the party conference next week, Ian Murray has conceded.
The MP for Edinburgh South admitted the London-based party could still overrule the party north of the Border on issues such as Trident.
He was asked what would happen if the UK party put forward a manifesto for a General Election which was at odds with Scottish Labour’s policy not to renew the nuclear weapons system.
In an interview with the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme, the presenter suggested it would be the UK policy, rather than Scottish policy, which would become the official position of Scottish Labour candidates.
To which Murray replied: “That is indeed correct because you would stand on the manifesto that you are looking to be elected on.”
The former shadow Scottish secretary said he personally opposed Trident but had stood at the last two general elections on a manifesto that backed it. And he insisted Dugdale’s proposals would give Scottish Labour full autonomy despite the party still largely relying on funding from London.
“It is about the UK Labour party and the Scottish Labour party being part of the same unit. But the Scottish Labour party having full autonomy over everything that happens here in Scotland from selections right through to policy,” he said.
The changes, which still have to be approved by the party conference, would devolve control over policy, constituency parties and Westminster candidate selections.
Earlier in the interview Murray said he would only return to Corbyn’s frontbench team if the Labour leader reinstates shadow cabinet elections.
He said the move could act as an “olive branch” to win over MPs who have been critical of the veteran left-winger, who looks almost certain to be re-elected as Labour leader.
Murray was one of a group of MPs, unhappy with Corbyn’s leadership, who quit the shadow cabinet en masse. He said he “certainly would” return to that post if shadow cabinet elections were restored, but added not returning to the election system “makes it much more difficult”.
Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee has put off a decision on MPs’ demand to vote on who should be members of the frontbench team.
But after a divisive leadership contest, Corbyn has pledged to “wipe the slate clean’’ and work with critics within the party if re-elected.
Murray said elections to the shadow cabinet are “something Jeremy Corbyn used to support”, adding that the leader had been “one of the biggest opponents of removing shadow cabinet elections”.
He added: “I think if this is a way of uniting the party it’s a good start, it’s an olive branch, and I would suggest Jeremy grabs it with both hands. It’s about uniting the party, this is what we all want to do come Saturday, regardless of the result. We have to bring together all elements of the party – that includes the trade unions, the socialist societies, the Members of Parliament, the members of the party.”
At First Ministers Questions in Holyrood Nicola Sturgeon said Dugdale should take “more responsibility for the Tories’ ability to continue to impose cuts on Scotland” because of the “shambles” the Labour party were in.
Her comments followed Dugdale’s claims Sturgeon was “doubling down” on Tory cuts over concerns that fewer elderly people were receiving care at home.
The Scottish Labour leader repeated calls for the First Minister to back Labour’s policy to raise income tax to reverse cuts to council budgets.
But the First Minister responded: “Kezia Dugdale doesn’t oppose Tory austerity, she wants to shift the burden of Tory austerity onto working people the length of breadth of this country and I would say to her, she put that proposition to the people of Scotland just four months ago and she’s sitting on that side of the chamber because her party came third in the Scottish Parliament election.
“I would ask her to reflect on the position she and her party are in.
“She stands up regularly and says that the future looks to be a Tory future in terms of the Westminster Government and yet she’s got the nerve to come here and lecture me about the implications of Tory cuts that her party are powerless to do anything about.”
Dugdale’s autonomy proposals are expected to debated at the party conference on Sunday.
Momentum has said it will not support them, but they are expected to get backing from trade unions.
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